PH President Rodrigo Duterte was hailed 2016’s “Person of the Year” by Chinese magazine, Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia Weekly).
President Rodrigo Duterte has earned another distinction from an internationally acclaimed publication after landing in Forbes’ Magazine’s list of “Most Powerful Persons” in 2016.
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Chinese language magazine Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia Weekly) has just named the President as its “2016 Person of the Year” for pursuing an independent foreign policy that included “distancing away from the US and forging closer ties with China.”
“Article also praises Duterte’s good governance and anti-corruption campaign as the reason for his popularity among Filipinos,” he was quoted saying.
The Hong Kong-based international affairs magazine known in English as “Asia Weekly” also gave the tough-talking Filipino politician a seven-page cover story in its January issue and praised his government’s achievements so far. The story was highlighted on Facebook late last week along with pictures of the lengthy feature.
“Again, the President was chosen for having changed the balance of power in Asia,” said Joaquin Sy, the Facebook user who snapped the pictures.
Since taking power in June last year, Duterte has made headlines for declaring an end to the Philippines’ decades-old military alliance with the U.S., whose leaders have been openly critical of his violent crackdown on drug criminals. In his bid to pursue a more independent foreign policy, Duterte has also openly announced plans to bolster ties with U.S. rivals China and Russia.
