As the mayor of Davao City, Duterte empowered ”death squads” that are believed to have killed about 1,000 people without trial, according to Human Rights Watch, including hundreds of children. After a female missionary was gang-raped in the city jail while he was mayor, Duterte said it was a “waste” that the mayor could not have “been first,” because she was so beautiful.

Comedian John Oliver bestowed yet another nickname:

Duterte’s rise has taken place amid widespread frustration against president Benigno Aquino III, who belongs to the country’s dominant political dynasty. The country’s rapid economic growth hasn’t eliminated widespread corruption, inequality, or dangerous working conditions.

In the tense South China Sea, where China is feuding with its neighbors over contested territorial clais, Duterte has pledged to ride a jet ski to a disputed island. But he also said he’d “shut up” about his country’s long-standing claims there if China promises to build infrastructure in the Philippines while he is president.

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