- President Duterte cursed at TIME Magazine.
- President Duterte was included in TIME Magazine featuring strongmen.
“T— ina itong Time Magazine na ito nilagay ako doon sa mga despot.”
That was President Rodrigo Duterte’s reaction to the latest cover of TIME Magazine which features current strongmen around the world.
In a speech in front of military officers in Malacanang, Tuesday, May 8, President Duterte slammed TIME Magazine for including him on its latest cover featuring world leaders tagged as “strongman”.
The President reiterated that he is not a dictator and he will definitely not become one.
“Diktador ba ako since when? Since when did I send somebody to prison for just talking against me? Sige nga. Nilagay pa ako doon sa… apat kami na mukhang monster pa pagka-drawing ng mukha. Typically the drawing itself was really to fit you as a despot,” he said.
“So that is just my response to this strongman [tag]. I’ll never be one. Huwag kayong maniwala diyan sa Time Magazine. Para lang ‘yan mabili ‘yung ano [magazine] nila,” the President added.
For its May 14 issue, TIME magazine featured on its cover and article world leaders who are known to be “strongman” which include Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Philippines’ Duterte.
In the article, Duterte was described as someone who “talked more like a mob boss than a President, on his promises to wipe out the drug trade with his own brand of justice.”
Meanwhile, Malacanang brushed off the cover and said that Duterte’s strong leadership showed decisiveness which is very much appreciated by the Filipinos.
“Demonstrated strong and decisive leadership – a quality appreciated by Filipinos” as evidenced by his “high satisfaction, approval, trust, and performance ratings.“
