President Duterte’s deadly war on crime is threatening the Philippines’ economy and endangering its democratic institutions, international credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) warned on Wednesday. S&P maintained its stable outlook for the Philippines, but highlighted a range of “weaknesses” under the new Duterte administration that also included his foreign policy and national security statements. “The President has a strong focus on improving ‘law and order,’ which has allegedly resulted in numerous extrajudicial killings since he came to power,” S&P said. About a third of the victims were shot dead by police and the rest murdered by unidentified attackers, according to official statistics. Nevertheless, the charismatic 71-year-old remains wildly popular as many Filipinos embrace his promise of a quick solution to the deep-rooted crime problem.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 21, 2016 21:33 UTC