A foreword

This book was given to me as a gift and due to the compact nature of the book I was able to read it within an hour or two. This book promised to be a non-political explanation of some of the events surrounding the election of Rodrigo Duterte to the Presidency of the Philippines.

Rodrigo Duterte: 16th Philippines President

The most hardworking yet, controversial President

This book was written by Frealyn M. Navarro and Sofriano Reign III. It opens with a summary that posits questions that the author wished to answer in her research of the political figure Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Some of these questions include his education, his policy, his public persona, and his effect on the war on drugs within the Philippines.

Rodrigo Roa Duterte is the 16th president of the Philippines. He comes from Mindanao which is the southernmost major island in the country. President Duterte is a graduate of Lyceum of the Philippines University and received a law degree from San Beda College of Law. He held the position of Mayor in Davao City on Mindanao island for nearly 22 years.

Election

President Duterte ran on several policies. His main policies included Crime and Corruption, Inclusive Economic Changes, and Equal Protections under the law. He promised to end crime in the Philippines through the institution of the death penalty for heinous crimes as well as by increasing the salaries of policemen within the nation. He also pushed to increase the number of jobs available in the countrysides of the nation, reduces taxes on the poor, and end the practice of contractualization.

President Duterte received 16,601,997 votes. This was 6.6 million more votes than his closest competitor. His trust rating from Pulse Asia was 91% shortly after his election. As of July of 2018, his trust rating is 87% and his approval rating is 88%.

What is Contractualization?

In the Philippines it is common practice to hire employees on a temporary basis. The period of employment generally lasts five months because the Philippines has laws that state that any employee working for six months must become a regularized employee. Therefore the business will hire, fire, and rehire employees repeatedly in order to avoid paying for benefits and bonuses such as sick leave, vacation, meals, educational assistance, or health insurance.

Criticism

President Duterte was rebuked by the media for his harsh stance on drug crime, Catholic Church crimes, and his anti President Obama rhetoric. He has been quoted calling Pope Francis and Former President Barack Obama a ‘son of a whore’. He has made claims that he has personally executed criminals. He has claimed to have several mistresses. He has also been quoted as urging Filipino citizens to kill drug addicts while also urging Communist Rebels like the New Peoples Army to ‘use your kangaroo courts to kill them to speed up the solution to our problem’.

Popularity

President Duterte enjoys immense popularity among the common peoples of the Philippines. He is praised by internal media for his tough stance of crime and his unwillingness to allow his nation to become a narco state. He regularly advocates for the poor.

Conclusion

President Duterte is an extremely popular figure with many individuals I have spoken to. He is known for holding a hard line against drugs and violence and his inflammatory rhetoric is respected by many peoples within the Philippines. It would appear that he has lived a very interesting life and worked diligently in an attempt to improve his country if the books written about him are to be believed. Regardless of the opinion of the west, I think he holds a lot of support from his constituents and his style of leadership is becoming increasingly popular amongst the populace.

You can purchase the book on Amazon.