Originally uploaded to Soundcloud in 2016.

On Monday, May 9th a record 40 million Filipinos went to the polls in elections to determine the Presidency, Vice Presidency, the Senate, and Congress. The results were a blow to the country’s ruling elite as maverick independent Rodrigo Duterte defeated his closest rival by over 6 million votes. Dubbed ‘the Punisher’ Duterte has pledged to introduce the controversial death squads that he used to reduce crime when the mayor of the city of Davao nationwide vowed to kills tens of thousands of criminals. Many have pointed to the similarities between Duterte and the candidacy of Donald Trump in the United States Presidential election. Duterte like Trump has won support with his populist appeal and tough-talking, foul-mouth tirades against his opponents. Duterte even attacked Pope Francis in a country that remains staunchly Catholic. Joining me to discuss these election results and their significance is Professor David Buckley, the Paul Weber Chair in Politics, Science and Religion, and specialist in Filipino politics.