Duterte on strongman cover: 'T— ina itong Time Magazine'

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday slammed Time Magazine for portraying him like a "despot" in its latest issue.

Speaking to military officers in Malacañang, Duterte again took exception to the magazine's cover that lumped him with world leaders perceived to be "strongmen" including the man described by the President as his "idol," Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"T— ina itong Time Magazine na ito nilagay ako doon sa mga despot," Duterte said.

"Diktador ba ako since when? Since when did I send somebody to prison for just talking against me? Sige nga. Nilagay pa ako doon sa... apat kami na mukhang monster pa pagka-drawing ng mukha. Typically the drawing itself was really to fit you as a despot."

He reiterated that any Filipino can criticize him because "he pays for my salary."

"I am a worker of government and I serve the people. And if you are not satisfied with what I am trying to do or my work, by all means, you criticize me. And that would really be simply freedom of expression but that is limited to Filipinos," Duterte said, before ranting anew on Australian nun Patricia Fox's alleged participation in rallies.

"So that is just my response to this strongman [tag]. I’ll never be one. Huwag kayong maniwala diyan sa Time Magazine. Para lang ‘yan mabili ‘yung ano [magazine] nila."

For its May 14 issue, the magazine featured on its cover and main story Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin and Duterte.

The article described Duterte as someone who “talked more like a mob boss than a President, on his promises to wipe out the drug trade with his own brand of justice.”

Reacting to the feature story, Malacañang said Duterte has "demonstrated strong and decisive leadership – a quality appreciated by Filipinos" as evidenced by his "high satisfaction, approval, trust and performance ratings."

Malacañang also said the Philippines’ war on drugs has been acknowledged by countries and leaders, including Indonesia, China, United States President Donald Trump and police leaders from other Southeast Asian countries.

In his speech, Duterte called on the newly-promoted generals and flag officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to help restore the people's faith in government and stomp graft and corruption.

"Despite the significant progress we have made against illegal drugs, corruption and criminality, our country is not yet safe from harm and danger," he said.

"Nonetheless I remain optimistic that we can prevail against those challenges if we work together as a people and as a nation."

The President also said his government will work towards providing a "stable, harmonious and progressive" nation to the next generation. —JST, GMA News