Davao City – The harsh crime-fighting platform of a Philippine presidential contender nicknamed after a Hollywood vigilante has voters debating how big a price they are willing to pay for civil order. In a nation beset by violence, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has a brutally simple solution: Fire corrupt officials and detain street thugs. If suspects resist arrest, kill them. “It’s going to be bloody,” said the mayor, nicknamed “Duterte Harry” after Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry movie character. “People will die.” Mr. Duterte’s tactics have worked in Davao, his supporters say, and resonated across the Philippines, where he’s a leading candidate in the May 9 elections. He is locked in a tight battle for the presidency with three other main contenders. A Pulse Asia poll released this week showed Mr. Duterte’s support at 24 percent, slightly behind Sen. Grace Poe but ahead of the two other candidates –Vice President [...]
