Manila Times: President Duterte As “Man Of The Year 2016”
On Friday (February 10, 2017), President Rodrigo Duterte was tagged as the “Man of the Year 2016,” in Manila Times for making a historical change in politics.
Mr. Duterte accepted the award and said that it was an honor for him to receive this kind of compliments. During the president’s speech on the Manila Times’ 5th Business Forum, he said that he refused to accept the award offers by various organizations.
He said that his declining the awards offered by the different organization in the country because it’s his responsibility as a president and he was paid to properly perform his tasks. He said that he accept the Manila Times award because he realized that he needs at least one award.
The president had also revealed the reasons for declining those awards. He explained that it was due to the media reports discussing his colorful remarks regarding the 1989 gang rape of Australian missionary worker Jaqueline Hamil. He said that his rivals were trying to use it as a weapon against him during the election period.
President Duterte also tackled his achievements in life and how he get into politics. He said that he has been a trial prosecutor for 9 years, but he was appointed as OIC vice mayor in 1987. He replaced his mother’s place when she balked from politics.
Duterte also said that all he wanted is to be a Sandiganbayan judge and not to be a politician. In 1988, Duterte runs as OIC Mayor and has been the mayor of Davao City for 23 years, before he ran for the presidency in 2016.
Do you agree that President Duterte deserves to be called as “Man of the Year 2016?” Just feel free to leave your comments and reactions for this article.
