President Rodrigo Duterte, who’s controversial term in office has been marked by the bloody drug war, is the most admired man in the Philippines this year, a survey released last week showed.
YouGov’s “World’s Most Admired List” also showed that Angel Locsin, an actress known for her philanthropic work, is the most admired woman in the country with an “admiration score” of 15.03%.
The president received a score of 19.67%, and he was followed by boxer-senator Manny Pacquiao (10.65%), Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (7.96%), Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan (7.43%), Pope Francis (6.89%), and American billionaire Bill Gates (6.39%).
In the female category, former Miss Universe Catriona Gray, who became controversial a few months ago over a fake nude photo, was in second place with a score of 11.09%. She was followed by singer Sarah Geronimo (7.48%), who hogged headlines for getting married in secret earlier this year; American entertainer Taylor Swift (7.36%), actress Angelina Jolie (6.93%), and ABS-CBN star Liza Soberano, who sued a netizen last week for making a rape joke at her expense.
Meanwhile, former United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama were declared the most admired man and woman globally. In the Philippines, Michelle ranked 11th with 3.43% while her husband landed on the eighth spot with 4.70%.
Aside from his violent drug campaign, Duterte is known for making misogynistic remarks in public. However, he had defended his uncouth behavior by saying that it was his constitutionally guaranteed right to say what he wanted.
Meanwhile, Locsin became a target of Duterte’s online supporters when she stood up for her employer ABS-CBN, which lost its broadcasting franchise a few months ago. Duterte’s fans have said that the media company violated the law, but observers have remarked that the shut down wasn’t surprising given that the president had declared numerous times that he would block all efforts to have its license renewed.
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