If you don’t judge a book by its cover, then maybe you shouldn’t judge a presidential candidate by his cuss words or tasteless jokes, either.
TIME magazine correspondent Charlie Campbell has raised some crucial points to highlight the fact that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is poised to be the country’s next President, is actually different from U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump. Duterte has been tagged as the “Donald Trump of Asia.”
“The similarities between the combustive pair are overplayed. Duterte, 71, has spent three decades in public services, first as a lawyer and prosecutor, and later as mayor and congressman,” wrote Campbell.
He went on to point out: “Whereas Trump equates criminals with immigrants, Duterte puts criminality down to drugs, even vowing to ‘kill’ his own children if they dabbled in narcotics.”
Campbell likewise noted: “The main difference between Trump and Duterte is that we have a rough idea what a society governed by Duterte looks like — moreover, those who live in it are overwhelmingly supportive. Monday’s presidential vote was the 11th election that the Duterte has fought, and the 11th that he has won. The adoration that greets him in Davao is palpable.”
He then highlighted the bottom line: “The Philippines knows what it is getting. With Trump, America is looking at the unknown.”
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