Although the formal results will not be released for a few weeks, his primary opponent conceded

the win. But Duterte is not an altogether popular figure. In the United States he has

been directly compared to candidate Donald Trump for his inflammatory and often inappropriate

remarks. So, who exactly is this Donald Trump of the East?

Well, for the last two decades, Rodrigo Duterte has been the mayor of Davao City in southern

Philippines. His time in office has been marked by an unorthodox style, described as being

strong on crime, and earning him the nickname of “The Punisher”. He was regularly known

to ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle to patrol the city while carrying a .38 caliber

handgun in his waistband. While mayor, crime rates fell significantly, however, his methods

have been widely criticized. He has openly tolerated the killing of alleged criminals

by an unauthorized death squad that patrols the city, and has himself said that those

committing illegal activity were legitimate targets of assassination. While human rights

groups have condemned his remarks and actions, others agree that the Philippine justice system

is inadequate to deal with dangerous crime. Duterte has even promised to kill thousands

of criminals if elected, saying "I do not want to be president. I do not want to kill

people so do not elect me as president."

Nonetheless, Duterte won the presidency with an estimated 39% of the vote compared to his

two main opponent’s who received roughly 21 and 23%. And his popularity is not entirely

surprising. As in the United States with Trump, many voters are tired of dynastic, elite,

establishment candidates. The incumbent president was the son of the 11th Philippine president,

and Duterte’s leading opponent is the grandson of the fifth president. And under the last

few presidents, crime has continued to be a major problem, and the US state department

has even put out warning against travel to certain parts of the Philippines. Like Trump,

Duterte is an outsider, although unlike Trump, Duterte is from a lower class background,

and relatively progressive on some social issues. He is openly pro-LGBT rights, and

while mayor he passed the first and only “Women Development Code” which upholds women’s

civil rights and works to end discrimination. The Philippines is actually one of the most

female-friendly countries in Southeast Asia, ranking sixth worldwide according to the Global

Gender Gap Report.

Still, Duterte has also been criticized for his misogynistic comments, and in 2015 admitted

to being a “womanizer”. The 71-year old politician also said he couldn’t live without

Viagra, and in 2016 he also joked about raping a murdered Australian female missionary during

a campaign event, although he later apologized for his language, stating that it was a “bad

remark” made out of anger. During a visit by Pope Francis to the 86% Catholic country,

Dutetre called the Pope a “son of a whore”, for which he also apologized. And besides

his controversial remarks, Duterte has promised to be a dictator against “evil” as president,

which includes abolishing Congress if they were to threaten impeachment, and pardoning

himself for mass murder.

Clearly, despite his popularity and socially progressive stances, Duterte has also admitted

his involvement with extrajudicial murder squads, and his comments about women and others

like Pope Francis have been wholly inappropriate. At the very least, Trump isn’t confirmed

to have killed people in the street, although he HAS said that such an act would not lose

him any voters. In both the Philippines and the US, aggressive and upfront rhetoric is

clearly an effective political tool.

Duterte’s presidency could have a big impact on regional disputes like the South China

Sea. While the former president refused to negotiate with China, Duterte said he will

take a conciliatory stance, which may change the nature of the conflict. To learn more

about the tensions in the South China Sea, watch our video at the top. And to learn more

about the political climate that has led to Duterte’s election, watch this video on

Phillipines' Power. Thanks for checking out Seeker Daily, don’t forget to like and subscribe

for new videos every day!