In the Philippines, the political climate remains volatile to this day. The recently elected(2016-2022) Rodrigo Duterte, former mayor of Davao, to the Presidency chose to make one of his central domestic issues fighting drug dealers and users. But not only were the local and national police involved, Duterte called upon the people to take the law into their own hands by encouraging them to shoot “known suspects”, ala vigilante style. One can only imagine how this style of justice could quickly run out of control, given that anyone with a firearm was sanctioned to kill anyone thought to be involved with illegal drugs. The RC church sponsored many protests in Manila and other cities, however Duterte’s solution garnered a 90% approval rating amongst the people. It has always seemed the threshold for the sanctity of human life in the P.I. is lower compared to other countries globally and in Southeast Asia. It was reported that approximately 7,000 drug suspects were shot by non-uniformed civilians. This includes low level drug users and people suspected of drug use, dealing, or smuggling. Continuing along his unconventional path, Duterte turned to China and Russia to improve diplomatic relations. This was of great concern to the US State Dept., but did not completely jeopardize US relations. The US remains committed to defend the Philippines from adversaries, and still assists with military hardware. This is likely to continue, as the people of the P.I. and U.S. remain close friends and allies given our shared troubles in WWII, on through to the rocky road we travel today.