Philippines election: Duterte allies on course for senate victories
Source: The Guardian
The architect of Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal campaign against illegal drugs in the Philippines has almost certainly won a senate seat in the country’s midterm elections, prompting concerns among victims’ groups.
Former police chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa is among Duterte’s allies who were on track to take nine of 12 open seats in the upper house, with 95% of ballots counted. The senate has previously been a bulwark against some of the president’s most controversial proposals.
“[Dela Rosa] now has his own influence and clout, independent of the president,” said Kristina Conti, a lawyer for the victims’ group Rise Up for Life and for Rights, which filed criminal and civil cases against police in relation to Duterte’s drug war. “He might use his political clout to whitewash investigations into the human rights violations of the police.”
Before the elections, families who lost loved ones in the drug war agreed not to vote for Dela Rosa. “Now that he’s going to be a senator, two mothers who filed cases against police told me they’re afraid for their security,” said Rubilyn Litao, a church worker helping those affected pursue cases against the police.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/14/philippines-election-duterte-allies-on-course-for-senate-victories
