Rodrigo Duterte

[Takeovers]

Paging Davis Knowlton

My wife just talked about a new contender for the next Philippines presidential election. She and her friends seem to think very well of him. He has a good trackrecord as mayor of Davao City.

Anything else known of him, any opinion on his bid?

[Davis Knowlton]

Tough guy. Very little education. Widely rumored to have been heavily involved in the DDS (Davao Death Squads) which executed numerous criminals without trial. He admitted it years ago, then later denied it.

Rumor has three NPA attacking his home in the '90's, and being stuffed in oil drums and burned alive on his front lawn.

Latest, a month ago, told a guy to put out his cigarette when smoking in a No Smoking area. The guy didn't respond fast enough, so Duterte stuck his .38 in the guy's face and made him eat it.

That said, Davao is one of the cleanest cities I've ever been in. The surrounding areas are an NPA stronghold, but the city is safe and near crime free.

He's very attractive to Filipinos who see him as a tough, law and order guy. My wife likes him as well.

Bit of a thug. Plays well as a local Mayor, but I don't think he has the brain power to be an effective President.l

[Davis Knowlton]

^Correction. He has a college degree, as well as a law degree. I think I was thinking of his younger years, when he was expelled from several High Schools for disruptive behavior - took him 7 years to get through HS.

70 years old. Been Mayor of Davao for 22 years - longest serving Mayor in the PI. Big supporter of gay rights. Former heavy smoker...now rabid anti-cigarettes. Big playboy in his younger days. Like big bikes.

Could he win? Possibly. Not much in the way of really strong candidates. Perceived as a 'man of the people' a la Erap.

Has a lot of popular support. Law and order and anti-corruption could well get him elected.

What he does then, when confronted with impossible issues like Manila traffic rather than running his small, long-time kingdom of Davao, will be the real test.

[Davis Knowlton]

During the campaign, expect all of the extrajudicial killing stuff to haunt him. He may slide, as it was some years ago. but it was enough to bring down Ping Lacson.

On the other hand, many Filipinos, my wife included, have no problem with extrajudicial street justice given a broken court system. I asked my wife, "What if they were innocent?" Answer: "Tough. If they didn't do the crime for which they were salvaged, they certainly deserved it for some other crime." The hand-wringers will squeal in horror, but it's a widely held view here.

He's quite honest about his past - as many of his age are - and I doubt wild women, etc will cause him problems. If the worst issue he can be hit with is some back alley whacking of druglords, he should be fine.l

In a speech today, Duterte told Filipino criminals, "If I become President, hide". When asked about reports of 1,000 extrajudicial killings in Davao he replied, "If I'm elected, it may jump to 100,000. There will be a lot of fat fish in Manila Bay."

He doesn't seem too worried..............

[CaptainNemo]

Tough guy. Very little education. Widely rumored to have been heavily involved in the DDS (Davao Death Squads) which executed numerous criminals without trial. He admitted it years ago, then later denied it.

Rumor has three NPA attacking his home in the '90's, and being stuffed in oil drums and burned alive on his front lawn.

Latest, a month ago, told a guy to put out his cigarette when smoking in a No Smoking area. The guy didn't respond fast enough, so Duterte stuck his .38 in the guy's face and made him eat it.

That said, Davao is one of the cleanest cities I've ever been in. The surrounding areas are an NPA stronghold, but the city is safe and near crime free.

He's very attractive to Filipinos who see him as a tough, law and order guy. My wife likes him as well.

Bit of a thug. Plays well as a local Mayor, but I don't think he has the brain power to be an effective President.l

He sounds right out of an American "quit bustin ma balls kowalski" cop film... cue deep gravelly voice: "Dirty Duterte" - a maverick moral thug with a heart of gold who doesn't play by the rules but gets the job done.

[Davis Knowlton]

"Dirty Duterte" - a maverick moral thug with a heart of gold who doesn't play by the rules but gets the job done.

Just the image he's working........................

[Davis Knowlton]

Just as he was really picking up speed, he made a real poor taste rape joke yesterday, about a real rape, and is seriously in the crapper again. But memories are short, and there are still three weeks to go......

[Davis Knowlton]

Just as he was really picking up speed, he made a real poor taste rape joke yesterday, about a real rape, and is seriously in the crapper again. But memories are short, and there are still three weeks to go......

Australian Embassy blasted Duterte on-line about the rape comment - which was about a case involving an Australian missionary about 30 years ago.

Duterte told them to STFU and mind their own fucking business.

There were so many comments from Duterte supporters the Aussie Embassy had to take down their website.

[Lancelot]

Tough guy...

That said, Davao is one of the cleanest cities I've ever been in. The surrounding areas are an NPA stronghold, but the city is safe and near crime free.

He's very attractive to Filipinos who see him as a tough, law and order guy. My wife likes him as well.

Bit of a thug. Plays well as a local Mayor, but I don't think he has the brain power to be an effective President.l

Agreed. I visited Davao about eight years ago and he was very popular even then. Davao is clean and no stray dogs, supposedly the city was treating too many people for rabies and the Mayor said enough already.

But Davis called it correctly two years ago with respect to Mr. Ds intellect

[Takeovers]

Thanks for your posts.

He seems to deal with third world problems using third world methods. I don't disapprove of that.

Has a lot of popular support. Law and order and anti-corruption could well get him elected.

What he does then, when confronted with impossible issues like Manila traffic rather than running his small, long-time kingdom of Davao, will be the real test.

Right, that's the big question.

Plus, will he survive the election campaign? Lead poisoning is not uncommon for disruptive people up against entrenched privileges. If he gets up against them.

[Davis Knowlton]

Plus, will he survive the election campaign? Lead poisoning is not uncommon for disruptive people up against entrenched privileges. If he gets up against them.

He's been a big NPA and criminal target for decades.....my money would be on him and his boys.

[Takeovers]

Big playboy in his younger days.

Seems, not only then. He said one of his problems when elected president is which of his wifes will he present as First Lady.

He also said earlier on he just does not know if he is capable of dealing with the problems on a national level. That is why he was very hesitant to enter the race.

[Davis Knowlton]

Big playboy in his younger days.

Seems, not only then. He said one of his problems when elected president is which of his wifes will he present as First Lady.

Just talk. He only had one wife, by whom he has three grown children; their marriage was annulled many years ago. He currently has a long-time partner, with whom he has one child, and to whom he is not married. Thus, he has no wife, much less wives. Although the ex, of German/American descent, still lives in Davao and they are reportedly on good terms.

[Davis Knowlton]

He said one of his problems when elected president is which of his wifes will he present as First Lady.

Recently announced that his daughter will act as First Lady if he's elected.

[harrybarracuda]

*Deleted*

[callippo]

The odds are very heavily stacked against him. He's a hick, basically and Manila/NCR/Luzon machine politics dominates this country.

Only 3 of the 15 presidents of the 15 presidents of the Philippines, have been born on islands other than Luzon, and none of them, for over 50 years.

However the field of opponents Duterte faces, all of whom are Tagalogs, seem quite weak.

Despite that, I think one of them will prevail and Duterte will do well, to come second.

[Davis Knowlton]

^All valid points, and you're probably right. But, it's the Philippines........

[mikem]

Be difficult for him to get votes from anyone outside Mindanao. He doesn't have the organisation.

Also much easier to bring Davao under control than the whole country.

[callippo]

A lot of foreigners seem to be painting it, judging by some of the postings on other forums, as a straight Tagalog vs. Visayan battle. But it, and also the Philippines in general, is not as simple as that.

I wouldn't vote for him but I confess I'm not at all sure who I would vote for. None of the other candidates have much appeal.

He also has age to overcome. 70 is quite an advanced age to be taking on a six-year term.

I think it's good for the process that he is running and it will definitely make it much more interesting. And even if gets close, but loses he will have still have blazed a trail for some other Visayan to have a stab at the office in future. Which means, with this being the Philippines, his daughter.

[Davis Knowlton]

^Good post, with which I agree pretty much totally.

[callippo]

Not all women are in his camp. I'm holed up in a 250 peso room on the Camotes at the moment with a girl. The fan room has a pinoy cable TV in it. When it came up top of the news that Duterte was running, I asked her if she would vote for him. She said no. I said why not. She just mimed firing a machine gun at a bunch of people lined up against the wall. He's not everyone's cup of tea. Even Visayans.

[mikem]

Many of the people in Davao are from Luzon.

[grasshopper]

Remember Alexander and the Gordian Knot?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Hang the Maguinaldos and there's a good start. Kill the kulaks! Who said that?

P.I. can never been a western style democracy and that's it!

[callippo]

Neither can Singapore, Korea, or even Japan who used to be poor but have become rich.

But they never made the mistake, of having talentless hooligans in the top political jobs, did they. Duterte wouldn't be anything new, even if he does make president. It would just be another illustration of what they do in the Philippines - the land of guns, goons, gold, and girls.

[forreachingme]

Today he ask to increase the number of funeral parlor if he get's elected, since he will kill all drug lords and make execution each week end to show off...

The actual President just said that the scam at airport with bullet planting in tourist luggage is ok as only 1200 out of million passenger is a small percentage...

Mar Roxas is another character in this circus as well. Then there is the other guy that lived in normal corrupt years that is too old to place in jail but still seen in politics, colorful place the PI...