President Duterte of the Philippines has launched a wide-ranging campaign of extra judicial killings, directed at criminals and drug traffickers, in violation of constitutional norms and legal procedures. Bolstered by wide popular support he has also initiated a strategic shift of his country away from the traditional neo-colonial protector the US, towards China and Russia. He has thereby distanced himself from ASEAN and acknowledged the rising status of China in the west Pacific. The advent of the Trump administration in Washington and the close links between the US and the Philippine armed forces may halt his far reaching moves.
