0/5

Dateline: May 31

Dateline profiles Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, described as the country's own Donald Trump.

2016-05-29_2351

Tomorrow Dateline profiles Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, described as the country’s own Donald Trump.

He takes office on June 30th in Manila.

Guns line the walls of his home. He is accused of killing suspected criminals. He kisses female supporters on the lips and litters his campaign speeches with an endless stream of obscenities – he has even cursed the Pope.

It’s hardly presidential behaviour, but Rodrigo Duterte is now president-elect of the Philippines.

“I will solve drugs, criminality and corruption in three to six months,” he says in an interview with Steve Chao on Tuesday’s Dateline. “I am the only remaining card left for the Filipinos to deal with the situation.”

As mayor of Davao, he has won legions of fans for transforming the city, from being plagued by drugs, gangs and murders into one of the country’s safest. But critics accuse him of using death squads to rid the city of suspected criminals.

He admits to killing three kidnappers, but Duterte has never been charged with any crimes and denies ordering extrajudicial hits.

“That’s impossible, I do not need to set up death squads,” Duterte says.

Tuesday’s Dateline follows the 71-year-old’s whirlwind campaign tour prior to the presidential election, as he greets supporters around the country, but others are concerned about his impact on the country’s future.

“We like to compare him to Trump of the US,” author and investigative journalist Marites Vitug says. “He likes to shock with his statements. He can be very irreverent and very reckless.”

Can Filipinos look forward to a country without crime and corruption? Or will they end up turning back to the dark days of the Marcos regime?

9.30pm Tuesday on SBS.

One Response

  1. He has cursed the Pope because of his dictate outlawing contraception and condoms. Thus their population is 100 million, double what it was in 1982, with 3.09 children born to every Filipina compared to 1.77 in Australia. My Filipino wife and her family believe he’s the President The Philippines needs – if he can deliver on his plans to rid their country of drugs, dealers, crime and take on the Catholic church for over-population.

Leave a Reply