USON

my country because I’m building a nation. Do not destroy the youth of the land that… sila lang ang ating greatest assets,” he said.

In his talk with the Filipino community, we saw the bravery of the president even against terrorists. While the terrorists are willing to sacrifice their lives, our president also stated that he is willing and is doing the same to protect Philippines. “Do not threaten me with something which will come to me anyway. ‘Wag mo akong takutin. Sabi ko, Lika, punta tayo Marawi.’ We are here ready to die for our country. O let’s fight.” “It’s my job.” This is the only answer of President Rodrigo Duterte when I told him that his supporters congratulate him for his successful visit in Da Nang City, Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) 2017. We have known him for a while now, and we know that he is not too keen on recognitions or awards unlike the usual politicians who like being in the limelight. Regardless of how hard he’s working to give Filipinos a better future, it seems that President Duterte just wants us to see him as an ordinary government employee who’s doing his job for the country. To him, he’s just Rodrigo Duterte. A worker of the government with a task to protect the people and preserve the Republic of the Philippines for our children. This is one of the reasons why a lot of Filipinos love him: he’s not just a leader we look up to, he’s a leader we follow.