Presidency of Rodrigo Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte's six-year tenure as the 16th President of the Philippines began on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of government, and the oldest to be elected. He won the election amid growing frustration with post-EDSA governance that favored elites over ordinary Filipinos. His tenure ended on June 30, 2022.

Duterte began a crackdown on illegal drugs and corruption, leading to a reduction in drug proliferation but also causing the deaths of 6,600 people. His administration withdrew the Philippines from the International Criminal Court after the court launched a preliminary examination into alleged crimes against humanity committed during the crackdown.

Duterte increased infrastructure spending and launched Build! Build! Build!, an ambitious building program. He initiated liberal economic reforms, including reforming the country's tax system. He also established freedom of information under the executive branch to eliminate corruption and red tape. Additionally, he granted free irrigation to small farmers and liberalized rice imports with the Rice Tariffication Law.

Duterte implemented a campaign against terrorism and signed the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act. He declared martial law in Mindanao during the five-month Battle of Marawi and extended it for two years, the longest period of martial law in the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos' 14-year rule. He pursued peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) but cancelled them in February 2017 using supposed New Peoples Army (NPA) attacks on AFP soldiers as justification and declared the CPP-NPA a terrorist group. He created task forces to end local communist armed conflict and for the reintegration of former communist rebels, and enacted a law establishing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and granting amnesty to former rebels.

Duterte implemented free college education in state universities and colleges and institutionalized an alternative learning system. He also signed the automatic enrollment of all Filipinos in the government's health insurance program and ordered the full implementation of the Reproductive Health Law. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he initially implemented strict lockdown measures, causing a 9.5% contraction of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020. However, with the economy gradually reopening, the GDP increased by 5.6% in 2021.

Duterte sought improved relations with China and Russia and reduced dependence on the United States. He took a conciliatory stance toward China, setting aside the Philippines v. China ruling on South China Sea claims.

Duterte is a polarizing figure, facing criticism and international opposition for his anti-narcotics efforts. Various poll agencies such as SWS, PUBLiCUS Asia, and Pulse Asia consider Duterte's approval rating to have remained high during his presidency, based on their own polls.