Maria Ressa Hails Duterte’s ICC Appearance, Warns of US Following Philippines’ Path to "Hell"
The arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) marks a crucial victory for the rules-based international order, according to Nobel laureate Maria Ressa. Duterte’s appearance at The Hague, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity stemming from his brutal "war on drugs," offers a glimmer of hope for justice for the thousands of victims and their families. Ressa, a staunch advocate for press freedom, sees this as a potential turning point in the fight against impunity. However, she warns that the same forces that enabled Duterte’s rise, particularly the manipulation of social media, now threaten democracies worldwide, especially the United States. She argues that the US is mirroring the Philippines’ descent into a world where disinformation and online mobs erode democratic values.
Ressa, co-founder of the news website Rappler, has intimately witnessed the destructive power of social media manipulation. Her reporting meticulously documented how Duterte leveraged Facebook’s ubiquity in the Philippines to mobilize online support, spread disinformation, and attack critics. She contends that Duterte’s 2016 election marked a turning point, establishing him as the "first president elected with social media." Now, Ressa observes with growing alarm the same tactics being deployed to undermine democracy in the US, drawing parallels between the current political climate and the Philippines in 2016. She warns the West, and specifically the US, against following the Philippines’ path, emphasizing the potential for irreparable damage to democratic institutions.
Speaking from Berlin, where she participated in the Social Media Tribunal, Ressa revealed how the Philippines served as a testing ground for social media manipulation over a decade ago. The tribunal, which lacks legal authority but carries significant moral weight, examines the interplay between social media, polarization, radicalization, and misinformation. Ressa’s testimony highlighted the early warnings she delivered to Silicon Valley about the dangers of unchecked disinformation campaigns, warnings she feels were tragically ignored. Now, she sees the US grappling with the consequences of this inaction as the 2024 presidential elections unfolded amidst a similar landscape of online manipulation.
Ressa’s work exposing the spread of propaganda by online trolls during Duterte’s presidency resulted in her being targeted by online harassment and facing multiple criminal charges. Despite winning most of the cases against her, two charges remain, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for press freedom in the Philippines. She draws parallels between the unchecked power of technology companies and authoritarianism, arguing that tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk function as “the largest dictators” due to their influence over information flow. The US, in her view, faces its greatest democratic challenge yet, as the confluence of technology and populism threatens to erode its foundations.
Duterte’s arrest, while a significant development, reveals a deeply divided nation. While some celebrate the prospect of justice, others remain staunch supporters of the former president. Ressa emphasizes the lasting damage inflicted by the "war on drugs," which disproportionately targeted men in poorer urban areas. Beyond the immediate implications of Duterte’s arrest, Ressa underscores the long-term consequences of such campaigns, both in the Philippines and as a cautionary tale for other democracies. She warns that the destruction wrought by unchecked authoritarianism takes a long time to rebuild.
Ressa’s message is a stark warning to the US and other Western democracies: failing to protect fundamental rights in the face of technological manipulation risks irreversible erosion of democratic values. The Philippines’ experience, she argues, serves as a chilling precedent. The US, now facing similar challenges, must heed this warning and act decisively to protect its democratic foundations before it’s too late. Ressa’s call to action emphasizes the urgency of the situation: silence is consent, and inaction leads to the loss of fundamental rights. She challenges individuals to actively defend truth and democratic principles, highlighting the importance of individual responsibility in preserving a free and just society.