Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte is a president from a very humble beginning, who is loved

by most and also hated by many. He was once known as the “Punisher” and he is
famed for his iron-fisted rule of fighting crimes. His being outspoken has made him
harvest criticism from his own people. However, people from outside his country greatly
respect him for being such. In fact, South Koreans have wished they could have a
president like him.

In 1951, Duterte’s family moved to Davao, where he acquired his primary and
secondary education. His high school life was not at all free from adversities as he was
expelled twice not because he was a bad student but because he was fond of hanging
out with tough guys. After passing high school, he was later on sent to Manila and
completed his bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Subsequently, he earned his law
degree in 1972 and cleared the bar in the same year.

From being a City Prosecutor of Davao City, Duterte rose to being the Mayor of Davao
City and had held the chair of the mayor for 7 terms or 22 long years. Prior to this,
Davao City was once notorious as crime capital of the nation, a city ridden with crimes
but now it is hailed as the most peaceful city in Southeast Asia and during his time of
service as Mayor, Davao City was rated fourth safest city in the world. The transition of
Davao is owed to no one else but Duterte. This crime-buster mayor manifested his
fortitude and commitment by working at the street level and never confined himself to
his office. He was often seen leading from the front and not all wary of the perils that he
might face as battle against crimes. Duterte’s war on drugs in Davao City was one of
the many things that have given him a name. And with this, his critics thought of him as
a man obsessed with killing criminals.

He was on his 7th term as mayor, when he was convinced to run for the presidency.
Although not many people are amicable with his unconventional methods of eradicating
crimes, his quirky sense of humor brought him to the top of the survey a month before
the presidential election. Eventually, he won the election with 16,601,997 (39.01%)
votes, which is 6.6 million more than his nearest rival. He is the first Mindanaoan
President of the Philippines.

With less than a year sitting in the presidency chair, he has not only gained friends but
also foes. But unlike any other president, he never falters nor trembles when opposed
by his dissenters. He magnifies his calling by showing to all the people in the world that
he will never hesitate to stand for what he believe is right for the Filipino people. His
courage is better revealed when he humbles himself and apologizes not only for his
own shortcomings but for also the glitches committed by those under his supervision.
He might not be able to persuade his objectors that his federalism advocacy is what the
country need at present but what matters most is at least we have leader now who is
brave enough to pursue an independent foreign policy. Up to this moment, he is true to
the words he uttered in September 2016 when he said "We will observe and must insist
on the time-honored principle of sovereignty, sovereign equality, non-interference and
the commitment of peaceful settlements of dispute that will serve our people and protect
the interests of our country.”