This is part of Coconuts Manila’s quickie thinkpiece series on the presidentiables.
Inspiring and frightening.
Those two words have been used to describe Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, a man who has made his mark as a no-nonsense lawmaker who also approves of vigilante-style justice.
The 71-year-old Duterte graduated with a Political Science degree from the Lyceum of the Philippines University and got his law degree from San Beda College in Manila in 1972. He has said, though, that he has never been one to hit the books and has joked about copying from his classmates since he was Grade 1.
Duterte, who has been dubbed as the “Donad Trump of Asia,” is a study in contradictions. Yes, he is prone to cursing and comments that may start international incidents — but he is also more than capable of launching into an insighful discussion of Mindanao’s history. Then again, he can just as easily tell jokes that may have a lot of people cringing.
The unedited footage of Duterte’s speech at the proclamation rally for his candidacy probably displays the full range of his complexities.
Pundits say Duterte has appealed to Pinoys from all walks of life because he promises “radical change.” People who are already disillusioned by the system embrace him because he has the courage to say things that they themselves probably want to say, too.
One of the quotes attibuted to Duterte is this: “I do not care if I burn in hell for as long as the people I serve live in paradise.” That’s precisely the kind of go-for-broke promise that fed up people respond to.
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