DUTERTE AMONG MOSTPOWERFUL
President Duterte acknowledges the people as “the true source of power,” Malacañang said on Wednesday after the Chief Executive was named one of the world’s most powerful people in 2018 by Forbes magazine.
Mr. Duterte ranked 69th on Forbes’ annual list topped by Chinese President Xi Jinping followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin—his closest allies.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the President “has many times acknowledged that the true source of power is the people … (whom he has) faithfully served” by promoting their interests and that of the nation.
“The antidrug war, the pursuit of an independent foreign policy, the propoor policies and programs of the Duterte administration, among others, are reflective of the current govern- ment’s advancing the welfare of the greatest number of our countrymen,” Roque said.
“The presidency, in the mind of PRRD (Mr. Duterte), begins and ends with public trust where real power emanates,” he added.
War on crime
Forbes cited Mr. Duterte’s war on crime, which “has already resulted in the killing of thousands of people across the archipelago.”
The magazine added: “Duterte’s raw and vulgar vocabulary keeps him in the headlines: He called Obama ‘son of a whore’ and has used homophobic slurs to describe opponents.”
Mr. Duterte debuted on Forbes’ list of “The World’s 74 Most Powerful People” in 2016, when he ranked No. 70.
Xi, whom Mr. Duterte recently described as someone he “simply loves,” seized the top spot for the first time after China’s congress amended its Constitution in March, broadening his influence and eliminating term limits.
His elevation to No. 1 dropped Putin to No. 2. The Russian leader held the top spot for an unprecedented four consecutive years.
One year into his term, President Donald Trump fell to No. 3.
According to Forbes, those on the list were chosen based on the following: How many people they have power over; the financial resources they control; if they have influence in multiple spheres, and how actively they wield their power to change the world.
New names
Forbes said 17 new names were on the list this year, including Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia who ranked No. 8; Jerome H. Powell, chair of the US Federal Reserve who ranked No. 11; Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods who ranked No. 34, South Korean President Moon Jae-in who ranked No. 54 and Robert Mueller, special counsel for the US Department of Justice who ranked No. 72.
According to Forbes, there were only 75 slots on their list—one for every 100 million people on the planet.
The top 10 most powerful on this year’s list are: 1. Xi; 2. Putin; 3. Trump; 4. German Chancellor Angela Merkel; 5. Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com CEO and founder; 6. Pope Francis; 7. Bill Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation chair; 8. Bin Salman; 9. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; and 10. Larry Page, Google CEO.