Thousands of Filipinos gather to cheer Duterte in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Thousands of Filipinos gathered in Singapore yesterday to catch a glimpse of their president, Rodrigo Duterte, in a big show of support for a leader whose bloody war on drugs has horrified global rights groups but won support at home.

About 135,000 people from the Philippines live in Singapore, according to a breakdown of Philippine statistics for 2015.

About 70,000 of them are women working as domestic helpers, rights groups estimate, and many of them turned up yesterday - some without the permission of their bosses - to cheer their president on a visit to the city state.

“Most people love Duterte,” said 43-year- old maid Arnelya, who declined to give her full name because her employers did not know she went out.

“I didn’t ask them because they wouldn’t have let me. I’m very lucky because my employers are on holiday,” said Arnelya, who is supporting her four children back home on Mindanao island, Duterte’s home region.

Hours before Duterte was due to appear at an exhibition centre near Singapore’s Changi airport, cover bands, a church choir and a martial arts group took to the stage to entertain the crowd.

Organisers issued 6,000 tickets for the event but expected a much larger turnout as supporters turned up hours early. — Reuters