As he moves closer to half of his term as president of the
Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte has continually been in
friction with the Catholic Church, specifically with certain
members of its hierarchy. Mainly identifiable as the
dividing line between Duterte’s administration and the
Church is the issue on human rights particularly the
extrajudicial killings (EJK) of suspected users and pushers
of illegal drugs. This paper argues that Duterte’s attitude
and positioning towards the Catholic Churc…
Read moreAs he moves closer to half of his term as president of the
Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte has continually been in
friction with the Catholic Church, specifically with certain
members of its hierarchy. Mainly identifiable as the
dividing line between Duterte’s administration and the
Church is the issue on human rights particularly the
extrajudicial killings (EJK) of suspected users and pushers
of illegal drugs. This paper argues that Duterte’s attitude
and positioning towards the Catholic Church neither
strengthen nor advance the Philippine state towards a
greater degree of secularization. On the contrary, the
Church has become more politically and publicly involved.
Consequently, it has remained a key actor or interest group
providing an alternative moral discourse to that of the
government.
