Dutertism

War on drugs and crime

The Philippine drug war or locally known as the "War on Drugs" is a key Dutertist policy that began in 2016, the idea or the local versions of it originated from when Rodrigo Duterte was Mayor in Davao City^[12] and popularized when it became a campaign promise. It is a policy that "eradicates crime" by killing criminals such as drug addicts, drug lords, and other criminals, even urging his supporters to kill drug addicts themselves.^[13] This is the most controversial Dutertist policy with official tallies saying 6,252 died from 2016 to 2022,^[14] however, an investigation from the International Criminal Court estimated that 12,000 to 30,000 people were killed from July 2016 to March 2019.^[15]

Capital punishment

During Rodrigo Duterte 2016 presidential campaign, he advocated and promised the restoration of the death penalty by public hanging.^[16] It is a common Dutertist policy many supporters are in favor for, it would restore it as the solution to end crimes like drugs, rape, and kidnapping and the execution of criminals.^[17] However, since 2006, the death penalty was abolished in the Philippines.^[18] Bills have been filed for the restoration of this but none have passed, with the latest one being in January 2025, Congressman then Zamboanga City mayor Khymer Adan Olaso, a Duterte ally^[19] filing a bill to have corrupt officials get sentenced to firing squad.^[20], which was unsuccessful.

Militarism

During Rodrigo Duterte's presidency, Duterte admitted of militarization of government after appointing retired military officers to posts that are unrelated to national security.^[21] Duterte also asked the military to "takeover" the Bureau of Customs.^[22] He defended former military and police personnel, saying they are less likely to "debate" with him.^[23]

Ideology

Duterte's political party, PDP-Laban, describes itself as a democratic socialist party, and Duterte has nominally identified as a socialist, making appeals to left-leaning sectors.^[24][25] He has also stressed that he was not a communist.^[26][27][28] He was once a member of the national democratic Kabataang Makabayan during the 1970s, and was himself a student of José María Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).^{[29][30][31][32]} Earlier in his presidency, he had shown favor to the left in a series of speeches: on one occasion he proclaimed himself as the first "leftist President"; called the CPP a "revolutionary government"; ordered his officials to file petitions in court for the release of about 20 jailed communist leaders, which led to their subsequent release; and appointed several cabinet members from the CPP.^[33]

The collapse of the peace talks with the CPP, New People's Army (NPA) and NDF led to the falling-out between Duterte and the CPP. The dismissal of cabinet members, most of whom were dropped by the Commission on Appointments or by Duterte himself, led to his erstwhile progressive allies disowning him. Some in the mainstream news media have labeled Duterte as a right-wing populist and authoritarian.^{[34][35][26][36][37]} He has been likened to other nationalist figures in the 2010s including Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro.^[38] The fallout between Duterte and the CPP has also been followed by the expansion of a historical and religiously informed cultural hostility toward left-wing politics in the Philippines, which had been previously reserved for the CPP but which has now spread to the social democratic, democratic socialist and national democratic organizations, such as the Makabayan bloc.^[27][39][40] Some national democrats and others who identify with the left have refuted Duterte's self-proclaimed socialist credentials given his inability to concretely and seriously tackle the economic aspects of liberalism.^{[27][41][42][43][24]}

Duterte is the first Philippine president to have had "no reservations" in openly declaring his socialism while operating within a hostile political-economic environment.^[27][44][45] Some analysts have, in turn, stressed that Duterte's declaration should be seen as part of a populist political strategy rather than a statement of ideological alignment.^[46][47]

Duterte fist

The Duterte fist also known as the "Duterte pose"^[48] is a hand gesture made by Rodrigo Duterte, his allies, and his supporters before and during his presidency, its made by raising a clenched fist at chest or eye level. The gesture is regarded as a signature symbol of Duterte and Dutertism.^[49] However critics say the gesture is a symbol of the Philippine drug war and right wing populism in the Philippines.^[50][51] The gesture is also used in the logo of the PDP.

Color green

The color Green was first used as the official campaign color for Rodrigo Duterte's 2016 presidential campaign^[52] and was popularized by Sara Duterte during the 2022 Philippine vice presidential election during her campaign to run for vice president under UniTeam.^[53] The color is widely used as the official color of Dutertism and Duterte allies.^[54] On Rodrigo Duterte's 80th birthday during his detainment in The Hague, supporters painted Davao City in green.^[55]

Political parties

• Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (shortened to PDP. it is the main political party of Rodrigo Duterte and Dutertism since 2015, formerly known as PDP-Laban)
• Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (shortened to PDDS, it is a political party supporting Rodrigo Duterte)
• Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (shortened to PFP, it is a political party formed by supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte that supporting federalism in the Philippines)
• Partido Pilipino sa Pagbabago (shortened to PPP, it is a nationalist political party based in Mindanao that supports Sara Duterte)
• Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (shortened to HTL, it is the local party of the Dutertes in Davao City)
• Hugpong ng Pagbabago (shortened to HNP or Hugpong, it was 2019 electoral alliance that was formed by Sara Duterte that was in favor of Rodrigo Duterte's administration turned to local party and the current political party of Sara Duterte as vice president)
• Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino (shortened to KDP, it is a far right and neo-nationalist political party formed by supporters of Rodrigo Duterte)
• Reform PH Party (shortened to Reform PH, it is a political party that supports Sara Duterte)

Political organizations

• RAGE Coalition (2028 electoral alliance that was supported Sara Duterte's presidential bid)
• DuterTen (2025 electoral alliance that was against Bongbong Marcos's administration and supported Sara Duterte)
• Duterte Youth (defunct right-wing party-list that advocated youth support for Rodrigo Duterte that was delisted in 2025)
• Hakbang ng Maisug (organization that's supporting Rodrigo and Sara Duterte)
• Labor Power Movement (Pro Duterte labor group)
• Epanaw Sambayanan (Anti-Communist Partylist and mass organization of former CPP-NPA-NDF members)
• Liga Independencia Pilipinas (Nationalist and Anti Communist group)
• Puwersa ng Pilipinong Pandagat (party-list that represents the interests of fisher folk)
• Citizen National Guard (defunct right wing neo-nationalist advocacy group formed by supporters of Rodrigo Duterte which merged into KDP)
• Coalition for Change (multi-party coalition formed by the supporters of the administration of Rodrigo Duterte)

Similar ideologies

• Bolsonarism
• Chavismo
• Erdoğanism
• Fujimorism
• Orbanism
• Marcosism
• Pinochetism
• Putinism
• Trumpism