Malacañang shrugged off on Friday TIME magazine’s depiction of President Rodrigo Duterte as a “Mob boss” in its May 14 international edition.
TIME 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.”
Duterte was featured in the article titled “Rise of the Strongman” along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
READ: In the ‘strongmen’ era: Duterte lands on Time’s cover
“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,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“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,” Roque added.
President Duterte, a former mayor of Davao City for over 22 years, gained international condemnation for his brutal war on drugs, which critics claimed has violated human rights.
“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,” Roque 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. /kga/ac