Duterte brand of justice adheres to rule of law – Palace
Malacañang said that despite the slant made by TIME Magazine in featuring President Duterte in its cover together with other “strongmen” leaders in the world, Filipinos are satisfied by how the President runs the country and his brand of justice adheres to the rule of law.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Duterte was included among the “strongmen” leaders on the cover of TIME magazine for its May 14, 2018 international edition.
The cover story features aside from President Duterte, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It described Duterte as a “former mayor 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.”
Roque said Filipinos by now are used to Duterte's language and know that while he may be extreme in his words, he is serious in his commitment to serve the country.
“Regardless of slant, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has demonstrated strong and decisive leadership – a quality appreciated by Filipinos as evidenced by the Chief Executive’s high satisfaction, approval, trust and performance ratings,” he said.
“Filipinos have learned not to take PRRD literally with his colorful language but they have surely taken seriously the issues the President has espoused, such as the war on drugs and crime,” he added.
Roque also said that the drug problem is a worldwide concern and Duterte's way of handling the illegal drug situation in the country has been recognized by other world leaders and international organizations.
“The drug problem is not only a Philippine concern. It is a global burden and the Philippines’ war on drugs has been acknowledged by countries and leaders, including Indonesia, China, President Donald Trump and police leaders from other Southeast Asian countries," he said.
“The President’s brand of justice strictly adheres to the rule of law where the dismantling of the drug apparatus ensures the proper investigation of all drug-related killings,” he added.
The Philippine government has repeatedly defended the bloody drug war, saying it was not behind reported the reported summary killings. Police said that over 4,000 have been killed in anti-drug operations.
This was not the first time that President Duterte has been featured in TIME magazine. In April last year, Duterte led TIME's online poll for the 2017 Top 100 most influential people.
TIME has mentioned that Duterte has been known to use social media to “promote his agenda” and has reportedly paid people to “push him to popularity online.” However, Malacañang denied that Duterte paid his way to the top of the said poll.
Duterte has previously graced the cover of TIME magazine where he was dubbed as ‘The Punisher’ in its May 23, 2016 issue.
Other Filipino personalities who have made it to the cover of TIME magazine are former President Cory Aquino and boxing champion Senator Manny Pacquiao.