PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, May 4, took exception to an international magazine's cover story that tags him as a "strongman" alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
"I am not a strongman," the President said in a speech delivered at the 37th Principals Training and Development Program and National Board Conference held in Davao City Friday.
He said he has never thrown his weight around.
"When did I act like a king in the Philippines? I won the presidency by six-million [edge against my rivals]. For most of the people, I was the only one carrying the message appropriate for the time," Duterte said.
"(You) can criticize me and b*** s*** me to no end. I can take that because you are my employer. I am just a government worker. I have never sent anyone to jail for badmouthing me. But if you're another thing, that's another thing," he added.
The May 14 issue of TIME Magazine international edition features Putin, Erdogan, Orban and Duterte, with the cover story titled "Rise of the Strongman."
The article written by Ian Bremmer gave emphasis to the public demand for "more muscular, assertive leadership."
Bremmer, in his article, 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 has gained global attention because of his relentless war on illegal drugs that, police say, already claimed the lives of around 4,000 suspected drug personalities.
Earlier Friday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. came to Duterte's defense, saying that the President's style of leadership has been appreciated by the Filipino people.
"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," Duterte's mouthpiece said.
"Filipinos have learned not to take [Duterte] 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," he added. (SunStar Philippines)