Mayor Rodrigo Duterte - The man who would be president
Food for thought in July-August Asian Dragon
To run or not to run? That is the question. The signs are everywhere that Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is going to. He has advertisements running on primetime TV, and he’s doing the rounds and has been invited for speaking engagements nationwide. An ongoing media fight with the Secretary of Justice never fails to land him in the news. In jest, he even tells us who he’d like to have as his first lady. Media simply love to quote this tough-talking and controversial mayor, and his no-holds-barred answers are fodder for national news. But his actions don’t seem to match his pronouncements.
He has been consistently quoted in various interviews saying that he isn’t running. “I don’t want to run,” he says. “Why? Because I’m old already and don’t have the money. And when I close my eyes, I see no difference between being a Mayor Duterte and a President Duterte; it’s all the same to me. I’ve been telling people that I have accumulated enough accolades to last a lifetime and I don’t need to add the presidency.” He also considers how the presidency is perceived, with people easily accusing one of corruption as a result of the negative image brought about by botched government deals like the MRT, for instance. “I don’t need it,” he says emphatically.
So why won’t people leave him alone? Why do they keep convincing him to run, even financing his political ads despite his reluctance?
See also the stories of Lecturer and meditation teacher Salliji, Uniqlo Chief Operating Officer and Philippines Country Head Katsumi Kubota, Pronove Tai’s Monique Cornelio-Pronove, Florence Ko and many more. Also in the issue are the latest updates and trends in fashion, beauty, health, and cars.
All these and more of business, lifestyle, fashion and food are in Asian Dragon's July-August issue, now available at leading bookstores nationwide.
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