Duterte’s shocking, shrewd shot at the Philippine presidency

Rodrigo Duterte launched his profanity-laced campaign to become president of the mainly Catholic Philippines with a tirade against the Pope that included branding the revered figure’s mother a prostitute. On the hustings since, the 71-year-old has joked about wanting to rape a murdered Australian missionary, and vowed to kill tens of thousands of criminals then pardon himself for mass murder. Duterte has also bragged about his Viagra-fuelled serial adultery, called his daughter a “drama queen” for talking about being sexually abused, and told lawmakers he would shut down Congress if they did not follow his orders. Using such tactics – which have drawn comparisons with US Republican Donald Trump and similarly upended conventional political wisdom –Duterte has become the shock favorite to win Monday’s election. While it is easy to be fooled by Duterte’s controversial comments, analysts say he has shrewdly created an image as an anti-establishment figure capable of [...]