Rodrigo Duterte's Position and Beliefs on U.S., Same-Sex Marriage, Abortion and Catholic Church: What Is His Stance?
In June, the Philippines will finally declare who its next president will be, and according to the partial figures, Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte gets the spot. The tough politician has already claimed victory and his opponents have conceded.
During his campaign, the 71-year-old politics veteran has obtained a significant amount of hate from political experts around the world, mainly due to his highly controversial joke about the rape of Australian minister Jacqueline Hamill in 1989.
Both the U.S. and Australia publicly voiced out dismay over Duterte's rape joke. The countries' ambassadors criticized the long-time Davao City mayor for his brash comments and late April, Duterte shook off all the negative reactions towards his remarks.
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According to ABS-CBN News, Duterte said that the ambassadors should "shut their mouths," adding that he would go ahead and cut all diplomatic ties with the said countries if he wins the 2016 elections.
Despite his earlier threat to sever ties with the U.S., a recent statement by State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau seemed to settle the tension. As per CNN Philippines, Trudeau said on Tuesday, "Washington respects the choice of the Philippine people. We gladly work with the leaders they've selected."
One of the issues that was raised in Duterte's campaign was that of same sex marriage. Earlier this year, Digong confessed to having gay friends and relatives. Regarding the preferences of homosexuals and transgender people, Duterte said, via PhilStar, "I said I have nothing to do with the sexual predilections of my fellow human beings. God must be kind to all. So, I never believe that God intended them to be that way."
He was then asked if he would push for the legalization of gay marriage once he steps into power. He cited the Philippine civil code and iterated that marriage is a sacred union meant for a man and a woman.
Digong is known for being a womanizer but it turns out that the Donald Trump-like candidate is totally against divorce, Inquirer reports.
It's worth noting that Duterte's former wife of 27 years, Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman, asked the court for their marriage to be nullified, and while Digong refused to attend the court proceedings, the marriage was declared null and void in 2001.
As for abortion, which is one of the biggest issues that continues to batter governments across the globe, Duterte is also against it. "Abortion, for me, is a no-no," he said.
Meanwhile, one of the latest controversies that Digong was faced with is the Catholic Church's apparent disapproval of his presidential platform. According to another report from PhilStar, Duterte told reporters on Wednesday that some bishops came out during the campaign period, urging the people to not vote for him.
Despite the Catholic Church's influence on previous administrations, Duterte stood on his ground and made it clear that he wouldn't allow criticism from the Philippines' largest religious group, to take him down.
"They [bishops] said it would be a sin to vote for me. Good. If I lose I will not die. You should listen to the bishops not to vote for me. That's right. Anyway, I don't believe in the bishops," he explained.
Before running for presidency, Duterte served Davao City for over 22 years as the mayor and ever since he was elected, crime rates in the town dramatically decreased. He is looking to establish the same methods he used in Davao as he vowed earlier that he would improve the country's overall law and order.
