Rodrigo Duterte is the current and the sixteenth President of the Philippines.

Birthday: March 28, 1945

Nationality: Filipino
Famous: Presidents Filipino Men
Also Known As: Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Rody Roa Duterte, Digong
Sun Sign: Aries
Age: 73 Years
Born In: Maasin, Philippines
Famous As: President Of Philippines
Height: 1.68 M
Political Ideology: PDP–Laban (Present)
Spouse/Ex-: Elizabeth Zimmerman (M. 1973–2000), Honeylet Avanceña
Father: Vicente Duterte
Mother: Soledad Duterte
Net Worth: $55 Million As Of May 12, 2017

Rodrigo Duterte is the current and the sixteenth President of the Philippines, in office since June
2016. Born in into a politically active family, he spent most of his life in Davao City.
Subsequently, he became the Mayor of Davao and served for seven terms, totaling more than 22
years. In 2016, he won a huge mandate and became the President of Philippines. Since the
Philippines’ law does not allow anybody to hold any post for more than three consecutive terms,
therefore after serving his three consecutive terms as Mayor of Davao, he also served as the
Congressman of the 1st District of Davao City and Vice Mayor of the city. His success lies in his
ability to connect to the masses, a trick he learned while in school. To his critics, he is a foul-
mouthed adulterer, obsessed with killing criminals; but millions of his countrymen favour him
just because of that. They see in him the Philippine leader, who would get the country free from
crime and drugs, the two menaces that have plagued their life for long.

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Childhood & Early Years

 Rodrigo Duterte was born on March 28, 1945, in Maasin, Philippines. His father,
Vicente G. Duterte, was a Cebuano lawyer. Later he became the acting mayor of
Danao and after that, the provincial governor of the then-undivided Davao
province.
 Rodrigo’s mother, Soledad Roa, was a school teacher and a civic leader.
Rodrigo was born second of his parents’ five children. His sister Eleanore was
the eldest of the lot while Jocelyn was the youngest. Between him and Jocelyn
are two brothers, Emmanuel or Blue Boy; and Benjamin or Bong.
  Rodrigo, lovingly called Digong, started his education at Laboon Elementary
School in Maasin. But within one year, the family shifted to Davao City, where he
was admitted to Santa Ana Elementary School, passing out from there in 1956.
 His high school education was not at all smooth. After being expelled from two
schools for unruly behavior, he was finally admitted to the High School
Department of the then Holy Cross College (now Cor Jesu College) in Digos and
ultimately completed his schooling from there.
 It was not that he was a bad student. He just enjoyed hanging around with city
toughs and became street-smart, picking up their vocabulary and mannerism.
Although it caused immense trouble during his school days and earned him
severe whipping at home the experience later helped him to connect with the
masses.
 After passing out from school, he was sent to Manila and admitted to Lyceum of
the Philippines University. In 1968, he graduated from there with a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Political Science.
 Subsequently, he entered San Beda College of Law, also in Manila and earned
his degree in 1972. In the same year, he also cleared his bar examination.

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Career
 Rodrigo Roa Duterte began his career at Davao City bar. Subsequently in 1977,
he became Special Counsel at the City Prosecution Office, serving in the post
until 1979.
 From 1979 to 1981, he served as the Fourth Assistant City Prosecutor; from
1981 to 1983, as the Third Assistant City Prosecutor and from 1983 to 1986, as
the Second Assistant City Prosecutor.
 Meanwhile in 1983, People’s Power Revolution began which in 1986, overthrew
the dictatorial government of Ferdinand Marcos and restored democratic
institutions in the country. In the same year, Duterte was appointed as the
Officer-in-charge Vice Mayor for the City of Davao.
 In 1988, he contested the election for the Mayoral post and won. Subsequently,
he won two more terms, remaining in the position till 1998. During this period, he
set an example by choosing his deputy mayors from the Lumad and Moro
communities, a practice that was later emulated by other cities.
 As the country’s law does not allow any person to hold any civic office for more
than three consecutive terms, he could not stand in the mayoral election in 1998.
So, Duterte chose to run for the House of Representatives and won.
 From 1998 to 2001, he served as the Congressman of the 1st District of Davao
City under the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino coalition, a job he found
immensely boring. Therefore in 2001, he once more stood for the mayoral
election in Davao.
 Subsequently, he won three more consecutive terms (2001, 2004 and 2007).
During this period, the condition of Davao City improved in all respects. It won
 the National Literacy Hall of Fame Award for winning the first place in the
Outstanding Local Government Unit, Highly Urbanized City category thrice.
 Moreover, Duterte never confined himself to his office. He worked at the street
level and was often seen leading from the front, riding his big motor cycle with a
convoy, fitted with M16 rifles, following him. As a result, the crime rate was
drastically reduced during his tenure.
 More significant was his war on drugs. In addition, he imposed anti-smoking rules
and prohibited selling, serving, and consuming alcoholic beverages from 01:00
AM until 08:00 AM. He also introduced women’s rights bill that aimed to eliminate
discrimination against women and promote their rights.
 In 2010, after running three consecutive terms as the Mayor of the Davao City,
he was once again barred by law to contest for the same post. Therefore, he ran
for the post of Vice Mayor while his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio became the
Mayor.
 In 2013, he again ran for the post of the Mayor of Davao City and won. He now
continued his work on making the city crime free. Previously, he had refused to
become the Interior Secretary four times, preferring to serve his city; but now he
began to take interest in national politics.
 In 2014, Duterte gave a call for forming a federal form of government, which
would reflect the aspiration of the Pilipino people including the various tribes. The
following year, he was asked to run for the post of President.
 Initially he was very hesitant, citing lack of campaign funds and political
machinery for his reticence. He only agreed when his daughter Sara Duterte-
Carpio shaved her head as a mark of her protest.
 The General Election took place on May 9, 2016. On May 27, 2016, the 16th
Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Rodrigo Duterte of Partido Demokratiko
Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan party as the President-elect of the Philippines. He won
with 16,601,997 (39.01%) votes, which is 6.6 million more than his nearest rival.
 President Duterte began his term on 30 June 2016. As the President of
Philippines, he now resides in Manila, but visits Davao City every week.

Major Works
 Duterte’s war on drugs is one of his most important works that he undertook as
the Mayor of Davao City. Although many accuse him of human rights violation
and extra judicial killings he was able to eradicate the menace and make the city
free from drugs
 Using city funds, he also had a drug rehabilitation and treatment center built at
the cost of ₱12-million. It provides 24-hour services. In 2003, he floated a plan
that provided a monthly allowance of ₱2,000 to drug addicts who personally
approached him and promised to give up the habit.
 As a Mayor, he also started a war on crime. During his tenure the crime rate went
down drastically. While in 1985, the rate was triple digit figure per 1000 people,
from 1999 to 2005, it became 8.0 cases 1000. Because of his ruthless
eradication of criminals he has been dubbed as ‘The Punisher’ by Times
Magazine.
Personal Life & Legacy
 In 1973, Rodrigo Duterte married Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman, a flight
attended of German-American ancestry. They have three children; Paolo, Sara
and Sebastian Duterte. Among them Paolo and Sara joined politics while
Sebastian became a businessman.
 Duterte was not a faithful husband. Even while he was married to Zimmerman,
he went public about his infidelity and philandering. Consequently in 1998,
Zimmerman filed an annulment, which was granted in 2000. They however,
remained friends and as the marriage was not nullified by Roman Catholic
Church she continues to use her former husband’s surname Duterte.
 In the middle of 1990s, Duterte developed a relationship with Filipino
businessperson and former nurse Cielito Avanceña. Later she became his
common-law-wife and they now live together in Manila. They have a daughter
called Veronica.
 Duterte was once a heavy smoker, but later gave it up due to health reason. But
because of it, he now suffers from Thromboangiitis obliterans, a disease
involving recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis of blood vessels in
the hands and feet.

Net Worth
 Based on his 2015 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN),
Duterte has a net worth of ₱23,514,569.93, which is a ₱1.54 million more than
the amount he declared the previous year.

Trivia
 Duterte has his own way of functioning. It is said that he made a foreigner pick up
the butt of a cigarette he had been smoking in violation of strict antismoking law
and made him eat it.
 Duterte has no appetite for awards. In April, 2014, he was nominated for the
‘World Mayor Award’ established by the City Mayor Foundation, but declined it
saying he had only been doing his duty.