Duterte on ‘powerful’ tag: No, thanks

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks to the Filipino community in Singapore on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. AP PHOTO

President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday downplayed his inclusion among the most powerful people in the world as cited by Forbes magazine.

Duterte even called it a shame if the ranking was based on the people killed in the government’s brutal crackdown on illegal drugs.

“So what’s the basis? If it’s killing 5,000 people to make me powerful — you think I enjoy killing Filipinos?” he told reporters in a press briefing at the Davao International Airport shortly after his arrival from state visits to Cambodia and Singapore.

“I have no power, if the power means that, if it means that killing, attributing to the 5,000 makes me a powerful man by killing Filipinos, that is a shame. I do not accept the title. No I’m not (powerful),” he added.

The President said he was just a leader of an emerging nation.

“I’m just a running a country. We are not first, second, maybe an emerging country but not… I find it very corny. I do not even impose my leadership on the Filipino people. ” he said.

Duterte ranked 70th on the list of Forbes’ most powerful people in the world, which named Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world’s most powerful person and US president-elect Donald Trump in second place.

READ: Duterte among world’s most powerful — Forbes

Forbes has described Duterte as the former local executive who was elected as President on his campaign promise of eradicating illegal drugs in the Philippines.

“The former mayor of Davao City was elected president of the Philippines in May 2016 on the strength of a campaign that promised the swift execution of drug users and other criminals, and his war on crime has resulted in the killing of thousands of people,” Forbes said in its description of Duterte. IDL

READ: Palace welcomes Duterte inclusion among world’s ‘most powerful’