US group names Duterte ‘Person of the Year’ for ‘brutal drug war’

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on Saturday cried foul over the "wrong" recognition given to President Rodrigo Duterte by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

The US-based non-profit organization has named President Duterte its "Person of the Year" for 2017, a title given by the group to the “individual who has done the most in the world to advance organized criminal activity."

“Duterte has made a mockery of rule of law in his country,” OCCRP editor Drew Sullivan said on the article published Thursday.

“The global panel of nine corruption-fighting journalists, scholars and activists chose Duterte on the strength of his brutal war on drugs,” the OCCRP pointed out.

Sought for comment during an interview on state-run dzRB on Saturday, Andanar said Duterte should be recognized for the opposite reasons.

"Parang kabaliktaran ata dahil ang ating Pangulo ay ginawa naman niya lahat para kalabanin, para labanan ang organized crime para mapuksa ang [inaudible] drugs, ipinagbabawal na gamot, para matigil na ‘yung drug trafficking dito sa ating bansa at para mahinto ng gawin nilang transshipment ng droga ‘yung ating bansa," Andanar said.

"At the same time ay nilalabanan po ng ating mahal na Pangulo ang corruption. Marami ho siyang mga tinanggal na, na mga kasamahan during the campaign na nasangkot sa corruption at meron na rin siyang mga natanggal din recently na mga opisyales ng gobyerno dahil sa sobrang pag-biyahe sa ibang bansa na walang paalam sa Executive branch," he added.

"So mali ho. Mali ho ‘yung award na ‘yun. Hindi ho tama ‘yun," Andanar said.

Sullivan is one of the nine judges who selected Duterte for this year's title, which has been previously given to leaders such as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The group noted that Duterte was selected for the title over South African President Jacob Zuma and the recently-ousted Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Sullivan described Duterte as "not your typical corrupt leader" who has empowered corruption in an "innovative" way.

"His death squads have allegedly focused on criminals but, in fact, are less discriminating. He has empowered a bully-run system of survival of the fiercest,” he said.

“In the end, the Philippines [is] more corrupt, more cruel and less democratic,” Sullivan added.

He added that Duterte was already a runner-up for "Person of the Year" in 2016 when he assumed office.

The OCCRP describes itself as a not-for-profit consortium of regional investigative centers and for-profit independent media working “to advance public understanding of how organized crime and corruption affect lives.” —Margaret Claire Layug/ALG, GMA News