Rodrigo Duterte

Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte (born March 28, 1945), nicknamed Digong, is a Filipino lawyer and politician of Visayan descent. Duterte is among the longest-serving mayors in the Philippines. He has been mayor of Davao City, a highly urbanized city on Mindanao island, for 7 terms, totalling more than 22 years. He has also served as vice-mayor and congressman in the city.

On November 21, 2015, Duterte declared his candidacy for President of the Philippines in the upcoming 2016 election after a period of banter.

Early life

Duterte was born on March 28, 1945 in Maasin, Leyte in the Philippine Commonwealth to Vicente G. Duterte, who served as Governor of (the then-undivided) Davao and Soledad Roa, a native of Cabadbaran, Agusan who was a school teacher and a civic leader. Duterte's father Vicente, prior to being provincial governor of Davao, was once a mayor of Danao in Cebu. Rodrigo's cousin Ronald, on the other hand, served as Cebu City mayor from 1983 to 1986. Ronald’s father, Ramon Duterte, also held the position from 1957 to 1959. The Dutertes consider the political families of the Durano and the Almendras clan as relatives.