Rodrigo Duterte

Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte (Tagalog: [roˈdɾigo dʊˈtɛrtɛ]; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is the 16th and current President of the Philippines. He is the first Mindanaoan to hold the office. At 71 years old, Duterte is the oldest person to assume the Philippine presidency; the record was previously held by Sergio Osmeña at the age of 65. Duterte studied political science at the Lyceum of the Philippines University, graduating in 1968, before obtaining a law degree from San Beda College of Law in 1972. He then worked as a lawyer and was a prosecutor for Davao City, a highly urbanized city on Mindanao island, before becoming vice mayor and, subsequently, mayor of the city in the wake of the Philippine Revolution of 1986. Duterte was among the longest-serving mayors in the Philippines, serving seven terms and totaling more than 22 years in office. Duterte's political success has been aided by his vocal support for the extrajudicial killing of drug users and other criminals. According to Reuters, human rights groups have documented over 1,400 killings allegedly by vigilante groups occurring in Davao between 1998 and May 2016; the victims were mainly drug users, petty criminals and street children. Duterte has alternately confirmed and denied his involvement in the killings. A January 2016 decision by the Office of the Ombudsman on the alleged death squad in Davao between 2005 and 2009 found "no evidence to support the killings attributed or attributable to the Davao Death Squad much less the involvement of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte