Ten Most Controversial Statements of Rodrigo Duterte

Time Magazine calls him “The Punisher.” Some people call him “The True Agent of Change.” There are also those who call him as simply the most gruesome “Politician Trash-Talker.” There is no doubt that the reigning president of the Philippines is indeed one of the most controversial people in the world today. Listed below are the most controversial statements he made so far. From your perspective, which of these statements is the most intriguing?

1. Disliking The Presidential Position

"I do not want to be president. I do not want to kill people so do not elect me as president."

When courted by Filipinos to run for presidency, Duterte warned the very people who were urging him – he will be a president who would kill anyone that causes oppression and tyranny with zero hesitation.

When the office of the Human Rights gave out the information that there are approximately 1,000 deaths already committed by the Davao Death Squad, Rody's answer was: “If I become president, you better hide. That 1,000 it will reach 50,000. I would kill all of you who make the lives of Filipinos miserable."

Rodrigo Duterte may have been the most elusive and most reluctant presidential candidate in the history of the Philippines, but it made him even more appealing to the masses as he became the 16th president of the republic.

2. Confirming His Death Squad's Existence

“They say I am the death squad? True, that is true.”

People living in the southern part of the Philippines, as well as the entire country for that matter are fully aware of stories about the Davao Death Squad, a vigilante group comprised of hitmen that are willing to get their hands dirty where the mayor won't.

For decades, this group has been operating within Davao borders and if you belong to the realm where drug lords, extortionists and rapists thrive, the DDS will hunt you... and kill you. This agents of death sometimes execute their tasks in broad daylight fearlessly, often walking away casually once the target is eliminated.

While confirming the existence of DDS, Duterte stressed out that his purpose of giving such a statement is to challenge his detractors to come to Davao and file charges against him there formally.

3. Tolerance on Extra-Judicial Killings

“Here in Davao, you can’t go out alive. You can go out, but inside a coffin. Is that what you call extra-judicial killing? Then I will just bring a drug lord to a judge and kill him there, that will no longer be extra-judicial.”

When he was dubbed as “The Punisher,” there's a substantial reason for that, and it could be due to Rody's relentless statements as aforementioned. His city, like any other city in the world is also inhabited by criminals who are his main targets throughout his reign.

It is now a fact that Davao is one of the Top 10 Safest Cities in the world and according to Duterte, the ultimate means by which this can be maintained is through summary executions. He gave driving words to his soldiers and policemen: “Kill resisting drug lords or else, I'll be the one to kill you.”

4. Cursing The Pope

“Pope, you son of a bitch, go home. Don’t visit here anymore.”

This was what he said in one of his public-speaking gigs, upon his formal declaration as a presidential candidate. He was telling the crowd about the grueling 5 hours of traffic it took him while he was heading to a political gathering in Manila last January 2015, which of all days happened to be on the same day when Pope Francis had a tour in the Philippines. Due to the great irritation and discomfort he felt at that moment, he cursed everyone's beloved Pontiff.

An official visit to the Holy See was set but was eventually canceled. A letter of apology was then issued by Rody's camp. Although he affirmed that it was meant to be a joke, and that he was actually speaking about how bad the Philippines' traffic system is, it didn't stop the press from adding some more insult to Duterte's already sore injuries.

5. Endorsing Killings of Corrupt Journalists

“Just because you’re a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination, if you’re a son of a bitch.”

When asked about his course of action against journalist killings, Rody issued this statement and added, “Most of those killed, to be frank, have done something. You won’t be killed if you don’t do anything wrong.”

He believes that many journalists are so corrupt that they accept money from mobsters in exchange for shutting up, but some of them continue to bash the gang lords anyway. Another reason for such murders according to Duterte is that some of them often take sides – they run destructive articles on one mobster while not say a word on another. “The constitution can no longer help you in that chase,” he added.

His proponents later commented that Duterte does not condone journalist killing, unless a journalist is just the same dog as the the mob.

6. Bashing Catholicism

“I will lecture about the sins of the Catholic Church, and whether or not you are still relevant. You know, the most hypocritical institution is the Catholic Church."

Throughout history, the Catholic Church as a religious institution had lots of critics and bashers. Upon his rise as his country's new leader, Rody Duterte easily joined the league church's enemies. He said something unpleasant regarding the Pope so the church condemned him, which ended up in a seemingly unending word war between camp Duterte and camp Catholic.

Seeing Digong as an obvious supervillain on the rise, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines issued a pastoral letter with the aim of discouraging Filipinos to vote for Duterte.

The Punisher did the usual response, not with guns and bullets or heavy firepower, but with an onslaught of trash talk and even more cursing that made him still emerge as the victor.

7. Being Abused and Molested as a Child

“I will tell you the names of the prominent persons who were my batch mates [in the Ateneo.] All of us were victims of sexual abuses committed against minors at that time, including me. And I will tell you my story.”

All men, even the toughest and bravest of them all has to start somewhere. It might be a far cry from the badass image that we see in him today, but Digong also started as just a sweet innocent kid like any other guy. In connection with the pope-cursing issue, he blurted out such a revelation about an event that happened to him as a boy during the 50's.

As a student in Ateneo de Davao, one of the most prestigious religious schools in the Philippines, Rody told an excerpt of his childhood that robbed a big part of his innocence. In response to the intense pressures that countless men of the cloth are giving him, Duterte delivered a payload with a considerable blast– he revealed one dirty secret about the Catholic church.

8. Seclusion From Religion

“If I obey the Ten Commandments or listen to priests, I would not be able to do anything as a mayor."

Could this be the reason why he found it so easy to curse the pope? In one of his interviews, he declared that his duties as a mayor in one of the most talked-about cities in the world led him to abandon some religious principles that the people he is serving are expecting him to dwell on.

He has some traits that can make anyone tell he is a godly person: he loves the poor, he hates corruption, he sacrifices himself for the people. But he also openly speaks about the ugly things he also does in the process.

It can be noted based on his interviews and public appearances that he still claims to be a believer in the Almighty although he just needs to ditch religion for a while.

9. Joking About a Rape Victim

“Son of a bitch, what a waste. I was thinking that they raped her and lined up. I was angry because she was raped, that’s one thing. But she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first.”

It happened on August 13, 1989. A group of inmates at the Davao Penal Colony took a group of missionaries hostage and raping some women there. When asked to comment about the incident on its aftermath, Rody clearly gave such a statement. It was yesterday's news, more than 2 decades, but it did not escape the tendrils of modern mass media as it was posted on Youtube.

Duterte said it was blown out of proportion as he was too stressed out and angry that he just joked it out by saying he should have been the first one to take a turn on the Australian woman named Jacqueline Hamill, the most notable rape victim of that crisis.

10. Planting The Philippine Flag on Scarborough Shoal

“I will ask the Navy to bring me to the nearest point in South China Sea that is tolerable to them and I will ride a jet ski‎. I will carry a flag and when I reach Spratlys, I will erect the Filipino flag. I will say, 'This is ours and do what you want with me.”

Call it heroism, call it foolhardy, but Rody did actually say it. It was during a debate against his fellow presidential candidates orchestrated by ABS-CBN, a local Philippine channel. A lot issues and questions were thrown out that each candidates has to answer.

Explaining his stand on China's incessant claims about the Spratlys as being theirs, Duterte spoke about his long-time dream of being a hero– planting the flag in front of enemy forces and dying while doing so. He believes it would be an effective method as it would save lives... and bullets.

Which do you think among these statements prove to be the most controversial for you?