Who is Rodrigo 'The Punisher' Duterte?

He's the man described as the 'Donald Trump' of the Philippines. So who is Rodrigo Duterte?

Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte during his final campaign rally in Manila, Philippines. Source: Getty Images

He is accused of killing suspected criminals, boasts of sexual conquests and has even cursed the Pope.

The controversial, yet hugely popular former mayor of Davao city, Rodrigo Duterte's presidential election campaign has been full of drama, including threats to kill.

But his bravado, combined with a promise to stamp out crime and corruption in the Philippines, has also won him plenty of fans.

'Gutter mouth'

Duterte's irreverent style has sometimes landed him in controversy.

Earlier this year, he was accused of making a joke about the 1989 rape and murder of an Australian missionary during a siege at a Davao prison, when he was mayor.

"What came to mind was, they raped her. They lined up.  I was angry because, she was raped, that's one thing. But she was so beautiful. They mayor should have been first. What a waste," he said at the time.
He later apologised for his "gutter mouth" and said it was "the way men talk".

Supporters were quick to jump to his defence, some describing Duterte as a hero who had offered to take the place of hostages during the 1989 siege.

While critics said the remark showed he was unfit for presidency, many comments on social media showed support, with people saying they would choose a bad joke over a bad leader.

In the deeply Catholic nation he's even insulted the Pope, apparently angered by the disruption to traffic caused by the Pontiff's visit in 2015.

"Pope, son of a whore, go home. Don't visit anymore," he said during an expletive-laden speech in November.

He later wrote a letter apologising to the Pope, which was graciously accepted.

Duterte 'The Punisher'

Duterte's supporters credit him with transforming Davao from a city plagued by drugs, gangs and murders into one of the country's safest.

However, human rights groups allege hundreds of suspected criminals have been extrajudicially “disappeared” as part of his efforts to clean up the city.

Reports have linked Duterte to so-called 'death squads', suspected to have been involved in the summary executions of alleged drug dealers, petty criminals and
Duterte's lax attitude to the allegations has earned him the moniker 'The Punisher'.

In an interview in June 2015, he said he would show no mercy to suspected criminals.

"I do not want to commit a crime but if by chance, God will place me [in the presidency], watch out," he said.

"The 1000 [I allegedly killed] will become 100,000. That will fatten the fish in Manila Bay. I will dump their bodies there."

He was responding to calls from human rights groups to investigate more than 1000 extrajudicial killings in Davao since the late 1990s, when he was mayor.

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3 min read
Published 10 May 2016 12:22pm
Updated 10 May 2016 9:52pm
By Brianna Roberts


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