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The Machiavellian in the Strongman:

Duterte’s Machiavellian Practices, and why He is not a Machiavellian Prince

Much of Niccolo Machiavelli’s political philosophy is immortalized in his renowned and

controversial work, The Prince. From it comes the term Machiavellian, which popularly refers to
the cunning use of power to achieve desired outcomes. Thus, state-leaders and presidents who use
unorthodox means to achieve their desired ends are often labelled as Machiavellian. Among these
leaders is President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.
This paper will serve as an attempt to explore the Machiavellian practices and ideas applied
in the current Duterte administration. At the same time, it seeks to argue that while these practices
exist, they do not justify Duterte as a Machiavellian prince—the kind of leader pertained to by the
treatise—rather it is more correct to see him as a mere strongman, populist president.

Differing Contexts
The Prince is strongly grounded in the political setting experienced by Machiavelli. It
seems only fitting that the differences in contexts of then and now are established before evaluating
the status quo in a Machiavellian perspective.
The treatise was written after Florence undergone a series of sociopolitical turmoil, and
thus sought to advise succeeding princes and monarchs on ways to acquire and retain power for
political continuity and stability. In doing so, existing moral codes and ethical systems are deemed
separate from statesmanship. This paved the way for Machiavelli’s conception of virtu which
means military valor, and implies the ability to execute a political action from a nonideological
stance to adaptively respond to reality.1
Meanwhile, Duterte’s presidency is seen as another rise of populism in the Philippines,
following impeached Pres. Joseph Estrada. His unconventional and aggressive political image
earned him the reputation of a strongman—a president who leads through violence and militaristic
authority.2 Despite critics, Duterte’s leadership remains charismatic, as reflected in the recent SWS
survey, as people still believe that a populist regime would salvage the masses from the
longstanding social inequalities and economic divides perpetuated by previous elitist
administrations3.
The important differences to take note is that The Prince operates under a monarchy, while
Duterte is heading a democratic, republican country. These respective political systems imply the
level of political participation and extent of liberty exercised by ordinary citizens. There is also
difference in information dissemination as the Renaissance age relied on limited and reputed
sources, while the 21st century is proliferated by many sources of information—both valid and
false—due to the exponential development of information technologies.

The Machiavellian in Duterte

Duterte maintained public support by portraying himself as a president who would utilize
extreme means to achieve noble ends for the betterment of the nation. This serves as the ultimate
manifestation of Machiavellian ideas in his administration—the supremacy of political power over

1. Ebenstein, William, and Alan Ebenstein, “Machiavelli*” in Great Political Thinkers: From Plato to the Present 5th ed. (Fort Worth,
TX: Harcourt Brace College, 1991), 317-319.
2. Ronald U. Mendoza., and Leonardo M. Jaminola. “Is Duterte a Populist? Rhetoric vs. Reality,” CIRSD,
https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/horizons-winter-2020-issue-no-15/is-duterte-a-populist-rhetoric-vs-reality (accessed October 6, 2020).
3. Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, “Duterte Admin Gets High Approval on Addressing Several Issues,” Philippine News Agency RSS,
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1113505 (accessed October 6, 2020).
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dominant social, religious and ethical values. This is rooted in the Machiavellian cynicism that
people are incapable of genuine goodness and change, thus cruelty must be applied when
necessary.4 People seemed to believe in this style of governance because the previous diplomatic
and traditional political ways did not resolve the plight of many Filipinos in their perception.
People’s faith to a populist leader, embellished with their dismay from previous elitist
leaders, is what feeds Duterte’s charisma and power even today. This is also a Machiavellian idea
which advises the prince to side with the people—the masses, the majority—rather than engage in
the political interests of the few elites5. Duterte’s brand as a populist leader is marked by his use
of foul language in political diplomacies, his casual clothing even on official events, and his
mannerisms and conduct that reflect that of an ordinary Filipino, than a President.
His ruthlessness as a leader is shown in his war-on-drugs campaign, which serves as his
main political agenda. The extrajudicial killings done mostly to small-time drug dealers are an
extreme breach in the social and ethical values of the country, and violation of human rights as
many critics and advocates argue. This also distorts the very preamble of the nation written in its
constitution which provides citizens of right to live, and right to due process.6 This violation of
moral codes and distortion of the constitution may qualify as what Machiavelli labels as criminal
virtu, or the ability of a leader to be ruthless for the goodness of the nation. This is the political
actions undertaken by leaders that are otherwise considered criminal or illegal in court, but are
justified because of its noble ends7.
Duterte’s inconsistent stance8 in socio political issues and in religion reflects the
Machiavellian idea of executing flexible political actions devoid of ideological and extremist
stance. Adaptability is required, as the goodness or badness of an action is indicated by its
efficiency or inefficiency to accumulate power and prominence for the prince.
Another facets of virtu in Duterte is his appointment of political allies and cronies in
congress, as well as the consolidation of military powers and authority, to even further the scope
of his political power and influence. His immense control over the military enabled him to instill
fear and even subject people to blind obedience thru his shoot-to-kill orders. His domination in
congress granted him impunity from the lack of check and balance in his political executions 9.
His power is retained through his weaponization of false news and hate speech to trample
political rivals. Duterte is among world leaders who capitalized on social media campaigns and
built an army of trolls to spread false data and historical revisionism in support of his self-serving
agendas. Statistics regarding COVID-19 cases in the country are faulty, and even complemented
by misguided reports from the Palace and spokesperson, Harry Roque, to justify the incompetent
response of the administration to the pandemic as adequate10. Duterte also banks on hate speech

4. Ebenstein, and Ebenstein, 321-323

5. Alissa Ardito. “Here’s what Machiavelli would have to say about the Republican primaries,” The Washington Post,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/01/04/heres-what-machiavelli-would-have-to-say-about-the-republican-primaries/
(accessed October 6, 2020).
6. VERA Files. “VERA FILES FACT SHEET: ‘Extra-legal’ and ‘extrajudicial’ killings, explained,” VERA Files,
https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-sheet-extra-legal-and-extrajudicial-killings (accessed October 6, 2020).
7. “Summary and Analysis Chapter 8,” CliffsNotes, https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/the-prince/summary-and-
analysis/chapter-8 (accessed October 6, 2020).
8. Camille Elemia. “The many times Duterte and his Cabinet contradicted each other,” Rappler,
https://www.rappler.com/nation/issues-duterte-and-cabinet-members-contradicted-each-other (accessed October 6, 2020).
9. “If it’s drugs, you shoot and kill,' Duterte orders Philippine custom chief,” The Guardian,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/01/if-its-drugs-you-shoot-and-kill-duterte-orders-philippine-custom-chief (accessed October 6,
2020)
10. Coda Story and Lynzy Billing, “Duterte’s troll armies drown out COVID-19 dissent in the Philippines,” Rappler,
https://www.rappler.com/technology/features/philippine-troll-armies-coda-story (accessed October 6, 2020).
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to tarnish the reputation of political opposition, create political polarizations, and ensure loyalty
from the people through fear and misguidance.
To guarantee the success in these operations, vocal critics, journalists, advocates, and even
farmers are illegally detained, charged with fabricated charges, or worse, killed. Liberal and
progressive ideals are vilified, as absolute obedience to the government is campaigned. Historical
revisionism enabled the people’s nostalgia for an autocratic rule, which they deem is of greater
importance than democracy and free will.
To summarize, Duterte embodied the Machiavellian ideas of consolidating power and
securing favor of the masses, and employed Machiavellian practices such as unethical political
mechanisms to achieve his desired goals, strengthen his political power through eliminating his
political rivals, and ultimately guarantee political continuity.

A Strongman, not a Machiavellian Prince

Given these points, one would assume that Duterte is indeed Machiavellian. However,
there are still salient Machiavellian points that this strongman overlooked and failed to uphold.
One is that while it is better to be feared, rulers must be “…temperate, not to be uselessly cruel or
arrogant.” Thus it is implied that any violence must be strictly necessary for the security of the
state; it must be done swiftly, but not frequently for it builds up the reputation of senseless
brutality11.
Duterte once promised six months of operation. But his war-on-drugs campaign have been
operating up to present, without yielding any significant result or evidence that it has achieved its
purpose and mission. This encouraged critics against his campaign, and disapproval from Filipinos
despite a high satisfaction rating. While trolls are still on the rise, people are amplifying their
sentiments opposing EJKs and its ineffectiveness in arresting big-time drug dealers.
A Machiavellian prince seeks to acquire and retain power, yet is also sworn to protect the
sovereignty of the nation. Duterte’s shortcomings in protecting the sovereignty and autonomy of
the country from external and foreign influences earned him the title of being a tuta or a puppy of
China. He enabled the Chinese government to erect properties and facilities in the disputed land,
and failed to fight for the Filipino fishermen who are already being mistreated by Chinese
fishermen and vessels. He lords over the country, but remains subservient to another political
leader which is China.
Machiavelli also adds that when the prince is unloved, it must be ensured that people are
afraid of his punishment. Instilling and maintaining fear might be possible in a monarch, but is an
unsustainable course of action in a democratic country. In the midst of rising violence and
impunity, many Filipinos are still geared to topple an authoritarian regime, as they had overthrown
a dictator in the past. Populism is seen as unsustainable because “…growth eventually sputters and
the costs associated with populist policies lead to debt-related challenges…” and eventually, the
ignition of a revolution from the masses12.
Adding to this, Duterte still lacks in securing political stability because political rivals in
opposition are still seated among the highest ranks in government—like Vice President Leni
Robredo. In a highly segmented and democratic country, Duterte is still miles away from
actualizing a Machiavellian regime. If anything, he is but a strongman populist president, with
hints of Machiavellian practices and ideals. [05119]

11. Ebenstein and Ebenstein, 322

12. Mendoza, and Jaminola
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Bibliography

Ardito, Alissa. “Here’s what Machiavelli would have to say about the Republican primaries,” The
Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/01/04/heres-what-machiavelli-
would-have-to-say-about-the-republican-primaries/ (accessed October 6, 2020).

Ebenstein, William, and Alan O Ebenstein, “Machiavelli” in Great Political Thinkers : Plato to
the Present, 317-324. 5th ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College, 1991.

Elemia, Camille. “The many times Duterte and his Cabinet contradicted each other,” Rappler.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/issues-duterte-and-cabinet-members-contradicted-each-other
(accessed October 6, 2020).

Gita-Carlos, Ruth Abbey. “Duterte Admin Gets High Approval on Addressing Several Issues,”
Philippine News Agency RSS.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1113505 (accessed October 6, 2020).

Mendoza, Ronald U., and Jaminola, Leonardo M. “Is Duterte a Populist? Rhetoric vs. Reality.”
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https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/horizons-winter-2020-issue-no-15/is-duterte-a-populist-
rhetoric-vs-reality (accessed October 6, 2020).

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https://www.rappler.com/technology/features/philippine-troll-armies-coda-story (accessed
October 6, 2020).

“If it’s drugs, you shoot and kill,' Duterte orders Philippine custom chief,” The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/01/if-its-drugs-you-shoot-and-kill-duterte-
orders-philippine-custom-chief (accessed October 6, 2020)

“Summary and Analysis Chapter 8,” CliffsNotes.

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/the-prince/summary-and-analysis/chapter-8 (accessed
October 6, 2020).

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