which the New York Times published in the World section of its edition of March 21, 2017. President Duterte has exceeded the number of killings during the 20-year rule of President Ferdinand Marcos — by claiming that there are now over 7,000 killings under Duterte, while there were 3,600 under Marcos. This is not a defense of President Duterte and his war on drugs (which the Manila Times has squarely criticized on several occasions). The net result of the Paddock story is that it contributes no new facts about President Duterte, other than some hitherto unknown personal family anecdotes. Far truer, is that NYT and Mr. Paddock have added to the growing urban legend of Duterte and made it global.

Source: Manila Times March 23, 2017 16:18 UTC