Rodrigo Duterte facts for kids

Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Duterte ; KGCR
16th President of the Philippines
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; June 30, 2016
Vice President	Leni Robredo
Preceded by	Benigno Aquino III
Mayor of Davao City
	In office; June 30, 2013 – June 30, 2016
Vice Mayor	Paolo Duterte
Preceded by	Sara Duterte
Succeeded by	Sara Duterte
	In office; June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2010
Vice Mayor	Luis Bonguyan; Sara Duterte
Preceded by	Benjamin de Guzman
Succeeded by	Sara Duterte
	In office; February 2, 1988 – June 30, 1998
Vice Mayor	Dominador Zuño (Acting); Luis Bonguyan; Benjamin de Guzman
Preceded by	Jacinto Rubillar
Succeeded by	Benjamin de Guzman
Vice Mayor of Davao City
	In office; June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2013
Mayor	Sara Duterte
Preceded by	Sara Duterte
Succeeded by	Paolo Duterte
	In office; May 2, 1986 – November 27, 1987; Officer in Charge
Mayor	Zafiro Respicio
Preceded by	Cornelio Maskariño
Succeeded by	Gilbert Abellera
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives; from Davao City's 1st District
	In office; June 30, 1998 – June 30, 2001
Preceded by	Prospero Nograles
Succeeded by	Prospero Nograles
Personal details
Born	Rodrigo Roa Duterte ; March 28, 1945 (age 74); Maasin, Commonwealth of the Philippines
Political party	PDP–Laban (2001–present)
Other political; affiliations	Kabataang Makabayan (1970s); Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (1998–2001); Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (2011–present); Coalition for Change (2016–present)
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Zimmerman; (m. 1973; ann. 2000)
Domestic partner	Honeylet Avanceña
Children	4, including Paolo and Sara
Parents	Vicente Duterte; Soledad Roa
Residence	Malacañang Palace
Education	Lyceum of the Philippines University (B.A.); San Beda University (LL.B.)
Signature

Rodrigo Roa Duterte, KGCR (born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong and Rody, is a Filipino politician who is the 16th and current President of the Philippines and the first from Mindanao to hold the office. He is the chair of the ruling PDP–Laban party. Taking office at 71 years old in June 2016, Duterte is the oldest person to assume the Philippine presidency; the record was previously held by Sergio Osmeña at the age of 65.

Born in Maasin, Southern Leyte, 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, 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 for a span of more than 22 years in office.

Frequently described as a populist and a nationalist, Duterte's political success has been aided by his vocal support for the extrajudicial killing of drug users and other criminals. Human rights groups have documented over 1,400 killings allegedly by death squads operating in Davao between 1998 and May 2016; the victims were mainly drug users, petty criminals and street children. A 2009 report by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights confirmed the "systematic practice of extrajudicial killings" by the Davao Death Squad. Duterte has alternately confirmed and denied his involvement. The Office of the Ombudsman closed an investigation in January 2016 stating that they found no evidence that the Davao Death Squad exists, and no evidence to connect the police or Duterte with the killings. The case has since been reopened. Duterte has repeatedly confirmed that he personally killed criminal suspects as mayor of Davao.

On May 9, 2016, Duterte won the Philippine presidential election with 39.01% of the votes, defeating four other candidates, namely Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party (23.4%), Senator Grace Poe (21.6%), former vice president Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance (12.9%), and the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago of the People's Reform Party (3%). During his campaign, he promised to kill tens of thousands of criminals and end crime within six months. His domestic policy has focused on combating the illegal drug trade by initiating the Philippine Drug War. According to the Philippine National Police the death total passed 7,000 in January 2017, after which the police stopped publishing data. Following criticism from United Nations human rights experts that extrajudicial killings had increased since his election, Duterte threatened to withdraw the Philippines from the UN and form a new organization with China and African nations. He has declared his intention to pursue an "independent foreign policy", and sought to distance the Philippines from the United States and European Union and pursue closer ties with China and Russia.

Images for kids

Duterte (left) with President Benigno Aquino III during a meeting with local government unit leaders in Davao City in 2013
Duterte (third from left) leading the citywide 2015 Torotot Festival
Duterte speaks with Davao City residents in 2009
Duterte campaigning on a motorcade in Navotas, April 27, 2016
Duterte–Cayetano 2016 campaign logo
2016 Philippine electoral vote results
President-elect Duterte (left) and outgoing President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang Palace on inauguration day, June 30, 2016
Duterte takes his oath of office as the 16th President of the Philippines before Associate Justice Bienvenido L. Reyes at Malacañang Palace while his children look on, June 30, 2016.
Duterte is greeted by overseas Filipinos during his official visit to Vietnam, September 2016
Duterte presents a chart which he claims, illustrates a drug trade network of drug syndicates, on July 7, 2016.
Duterte delivering his first State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on July 25, 2016
Duterte speaking with Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa in the Malacañan Palace on August 16, 2016.
Duterte welcomes Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad following his release from Abu Sayyaf captivity.
Duterte meeting with MNLF chairman, founder and former ARMM Governor Nur Misuari, November 3, 2016
International trips made by Duterte during his presidency
Duterte joins other ASEAN heads of states, holding hands as a symbol of unity in Vientiane, Laos, September 7, 2016
Duterte meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, September 6, 2016
Duterte handshake with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to the bilateral meetings at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 20, 2016
Duterte meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, November 19, 2016
Duterte with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, July 26, 2016
In his speech at the Davao Airport, Duterte criticizes U.S. President Barack Obama for planning to discuss the Philippine Drug War.
President Duterte talks with Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle during a courtesy call at Malacañang Palace, July 19, 2016
Duterte's children (from L-R): Sebastian, Veronica, Sara and Paolo escort their father (center) to his inauguration ceremony, June 30, 2016
Duterte with Avanceña along with their daughter, Veronica