Duterte, Rodrigo << doo TAIR tay, rod REE goh >> (1945-…), was president of the Philippines, an island nation in the southwest Pacific Ocean, from 2016 to 2022. He had previously served seven terms as the mayor of Davao, a city on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
During his presidential campaign, Duterte emphasized law and order. He promised to crack down on corrupt politicians in particular. He also supported tax reform and improving the nation’s education system. Duterte made numerous controversial statements during his campaign as well. He frequently used obscenities in his speeches, made offensive comments about Pope Francis, and threatened to kill thousands of criminals and dump their bodies in Manila Bay. He also said he would shut down the government if it refused to enact his policies.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte was born in Maasin, on Leyte Island in the central Philippines, on March 28, 1945. His mother was a schoolteacher. His father was a lawyer and politician who served as governor of the region of Davao from 1959 to 1965.
In 1968, Duterte earned a B.A. degree in political science from the Lyceum of the Philippines University in Manila, the capital. In 1972, he earned a law degree from San Beda College of Law in Manila. He worked as a prosecutor for the Davao city government from 1977 to 1986.
Duterte entered politics in 1986. That year, a popular uprising forced Ferdinand Marcos, the long-ruling president of the Philippines, to flee the country. Corazon Aquino, the country’s new president, appointed officers-in-charge (OIC’s) to various local government posts. Duterte was appointed OIC vice mayor of Davao, a position he held from 1986 to 1988.
Duterte was elected mayor of Davao in 1988. He was reelected in 1992 and again in 1995. He became known for riding around the city on a motorcycle, visiting police officers and other public servants, and personally chasing down criminals.
Duterte was elected to the federal Congress in 1998 after finishing his third term as mayor of Davao. (By Philippine law, mayors are limited to three consecutive terms in office.) He served in Congress until 2001, when he was again elected mayor of Davao. He was reelected in 2004 and 2007. In 2010, his daughter Sara was elected mayor of Davao. Duterte acted as her vice mayor, and she held office until 2013. That year, Duterte was again elected mayor of Davao. He served until 2016, when he successfully ran for president.
Soon after Duterte was elected president, the government undertook a crackdown on drug dealing. The nation also experienced a widespread increase in vigilante killings of suspected drug dealers and users. Many governments and international human rights organizations expressed alarm, but Duterte dismissed any criticism. In early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic (world epidemic) spread to the Philippines, the Philippine Congress gave Duterte broad emergency powers to manage the spread of the disease. Police and the military enforced curfews and lockdowns, and supervised the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) and food supplies.
In the Philippines, the president may not run for a second term. In 2022, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the son of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos, was elected president. Sara Duterte was elected vice president.
