Abu Sayyaf, officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than four decades, Moro groups have been engaged in an insurgency seeking to make Moro Province independent. The group is considered violent and was responsible for the Philippines' worst terrorist attack, the bombing of MV Superferry 14 in 2004, which killed 116 people. The name of the group is derived from the Arabic abu ; "father of"), and sayyaf. As of June 2021, the group is estimated to have less than 50 members, down from 1,250 in 2000. They use mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles.
Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of 2,443.61 km2 (943.48 sq mi), making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area. It is the third-most populous city in the Philippines after Quezon City and Manila, and the most populous in Mindanao. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,776,949 people.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte, also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson of PDP–Laban, the ruling political party in the Philippines during his presidency. Duterte is the first president of the Philippines to be from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assume office, beginning his term at age 71.
The Davao Death Squad (DDS) is a vigilante group in Davao City, Philippines. The group is alleged to have conducted summary executions of street children and individuals suspected of petty crimes and drug dealing. It has been estimated that the group is responsible for the killing or disappearance of between 1,020 and 1,040 people between 1998 and 2008. As early as 2005, the US State Department had received reports of the Human Rights Commission's (HRC) investigation regarding the alleged connection of the Duterte political dynasty of Davao to the killings. Investigations by Human Rights Watch and the Philippine Commission of Human Rights (CHR) followed. The 2009 report by the CHR noted stonewalling by local police under Duterte while a leaked cable observed a lack of public outrage among Davao residents.
Paolo "Pulong" Zimmerman Duterte is a Filipino politician who is the representative of Davao City's 1st district. He previously served as vice mayor of Davao City from 2013 until his resignation in December 2017.
The 2016 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on Monday, May 9, 2016, as part of the 2016 general election. This was the 16th direct presidential election in the Philippines since 1935 and the fifth sextennial presidential election since 1992.
Apollo Carreon Quiboloy is a Filipino pastor and church leader of the Philippines-based Restorationist church called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC). Previously a member of the United Pentecostal Church, he founded the KJC in 1985, and has made claims that he is "the Appointed Son of God" as well as being "the Owner of the Universe".
Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio, commonly known as Inday Sara, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is the 15th and current vice president of the Philippines. She is the third female vice president, the third vice president to come from Mindanao, and the youngest vice president in Philippine history. Duterte is also the secretary of education, holding the post in a concurrent capacity. A daughter of 16th president Rodrigo Duterte, she previously served as the mayor of Davao City from 2016 to 2022, and from 2010 to 2013. She was also Davao City's vice mayor from 2007 to 2010.
The 2016 presidential campaign of Rodrigo Duterte was announced on November 21, 2015. Rodrigo Duterte, who was then serving as Mayor of Davao City, had refused to run and turned down other presidential and vice-presidential aspirants' offers to be his running mate, including that of Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Bongbong Marcos. He was eventually elected President of the Philippines. Duterte's positions resonated with older, working class Filipinos. This was particularly true regarding his promise to eliminate the wide-scale drug menace of the country, his record of zero criminal tolerance in Davao City, which he served for more than 22 years, as well as his stronger position against corruption. Duterte's campaign reached out to Filipinos who had been suffering poverty, were strongly nationalistic, and had growing distrust of Western institutions as well as the political establishment in Manila that were supposedly controlled by the elites and oligarchs. In his campaign, Duterte accused political elites of not doing much to solve problems in a move that was described as populist.
On August 13, 1989, 16 inmates at the Davao Metropolitan District Command Center, who had previously escaped from the Davao Penal Colony, captured 15 members of a Protestant group, the Joyful Assembly of God. The inmates were part of the prison gang called the Wild Boys of DaPeCol, led by Felipe Pugoy and Mohammad Nazir Samparani. The hostage crisis ended with the deaths of five hostages and all 16 inmates.
Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Tesoro Go is a Filipino politician serving as a Senator since 2019. He previously served in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte as Special Assistant to the President and Head of the Presidential Management Staff from June 2016 to October 2018. Go has served as the personal aide and special assistant to Duterte since 1998, back when Duterte was still mayor of Davao City.
Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, also known as Bato, is a Filipino politician and retired police officer who is currently serving as a senator of the Philippines since 2019. He served under the Duterte administration as the chief of the Philippine National Police from July 1, 2016, to April 19, 2018, overseeing the government's anti-drug campaign; he also served as the Director General of the Bureau of Corrections from April 30 to October 12, 2018.
Carlos "Sonny" García Domínguez III is a Filipino businessman and former chief executive of Philippine Airlines who served as the Secretary of Finance under the Duterte administration. He had previously held the position of Secretary of Agriculture and Minister of Natural Resources under the Corazon Aquino administration. Prior to his appointment to President Duterte's Cabinet, he had served as executive director of PTFC Redevelopment Corp., as independent director of Alsons Consolidated Resources, and as director of United Paragon Mining Corp. His family owns Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City, one of the top hotels in southern Mindanao.
The Philippine drug war, known as the War on Drugs, is the intensified anti-drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who served office from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022. The campaign reduced drug proliferation in the country, but has been marred by extrajudicial killings allegedly perpetrated by the police and unknown assailants. An estimated 7,742 civilians have been killed in "anti-drug operations" carried out by the government and its supporters between 2016-2021.
Jesus "Jess" Gestuveo Dureza is a Filipino lawyer, consultant, journalist and politician from Davao City, Philippines. He was the adviser on the peace process to President Rodrigo Duterte from 2016 to 2018 and is the Founding Chairman of Advocacy MindaNow Foundation, a group advocating for peace in Mindanao. He has held various appointive positions in past administrations including the chairmanship of the Mindanao Development Authority, the chairmanship of the Government Peace Negotiating Panel for Talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and Presidential Assistant for Mindanao. He is also a former Representative of the 1st District of Davao City in the Philippine House of Representatives.
Jose Callangan Calida is a Filipino lawyer. He previously served as Undersecretary of Justice under the Arroyo administration, as executive director of the Dangerous Drugs Board, as Solicitor General of the Philippines under the Duterte administration, and as the Chairman of Commission on Audit (COA) under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos.
A bombing at the Roxas Night Market occurred in Davao City, Philippines, on September 2, 2016, causing at least 14 deaths and 70 injuries. On September 13, 2016, one of those injured, a pregnant woman, died, bringing the death toll up to 15.
The Resorts World Manila attack was an attack that took place at the then-Resorts World Manila entertainment complex in Newport City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. Thirty-eight were killed and seventy were injured when a gunman caused a stampede after he set fire to casino tables and slot machine chairs around midnight on June 2, 2017. The gunman moved to a storage area to steal casino chips from the venue, but later committed suicide following a confrontation with the responding police. Nearly all of the attack's deaths and injuries resulted from the initial stampede and smoke inhalation from the fire.
Sebastian "Baste" Zimmerman Duterte is a Filipino politician serving as Mayor of Davao City since June 30, 2022. He previously served as the city's vice mayor from 2019 to 2022. He is the youngest son of 16th president Rodrigo Duterte, and the younger brother of vice president Sara Duterte.
The first 100 days of Rodrigo Duterte's presidency began on June 30, 2016, the day Rodrigo Duterte was inaugurated as the 16th president of the Philippines. The concept of the first 100 days of a presidential term was first adopted in the Philippines by President Corazon Aquino from the United States and has since been used as a gauge of presidential success and activism, and is a considered the "honeymoon period" where traditional critics are urged to refrain from detracting the new president. The 100th day of his presidency ended at noon on October 8, 2016.
