Rody leads Time poll

Malacañang said yesterday that President Duterte will continue working for the interest of the Filipino people even without receiving any distinction after the Chief Executive led the initial poll for Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people for 2017.

According to presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella, the Palace recognizes the President’s inclusion and initial high rating in the poll.

“President Duterte is grateful to the Filipino people all over the world for their support for him and his agenda of real change in Philippine society,” Abella said in a text message.

“As a public servant, he serves the nation faithfully and without any thought of receiving any distinction. For him, the presidency begins and ends with public interest,” he added.

Duterte has maintained his lead in the poll since Time Magazine opened it in its website last Friday.

The poll closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on April 19 or 11:59 a.m. April 20 Manila time.

The latest poll results showed Duterte taking four percent of the online vote with 76 percent.

Following Duterte in the poll are Pope Francis, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Mark Zuckerberg, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and actress Emma Watson. All got three percent.