In common with Duterte's original support base outside Manila,[24] the DDS had been enthusiastic about the subsequently derailed transition to a federal form of government through constitutional reform.
[25] Some within the DDS, disillusioned by both the social doctrines of the Catholic Church and the sanctimoniousness of the professional–managerial class (PMC), may have also stood behind left-leaning causes such as the redefinition of civil marriage,[26] which Duterte had also supported but has since backtracked on.
[33][34] The DDS usually engage in online bullying and harassment against all activists, as well as the Otso Diretso electoral alliance, Vice President Leni Robredo, and even fellow Dutertists suspected of disloyalty,[4][35][36] often by issuing threats or tagging them implicitly for punishment.
[45] Long before the DDS' ascent to national prominence,[46][47] however, certain PMC actors themselves had allegedly orchestrated smear campaigns, known locally as "black propaganda", through SMS and other means against disfavored politicians and unapproved-of election candidates.
[13][21] In the academic and popular discourse, parallels had been drawn between the DDS and other strongman populist movements such as Erdoğanism in Turkey, Bolsonarism in Brazil and Trumpism in the United States,[23][45] among many others,[55] notwithstanding the uniqueness of the conditions that give rise to and, in turn, motivate each of them.