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The first biography of Rodrigo Duterte, the murderous, unpredictable president of the Philippines, a fascinating, fearsome man and the embodiment of populism in our time.
Rodrigo Duterte was elected President of the Philippines in 2016. In his first 18 months in office, 12,000 people were murdered on the streets, gunned down by police officers and vigilante citizens—all with his encouragement.
Duterte is a serial womaniser and a self-confessed killer, who has called both Barack Obama and Pope Francis ”sons of whores.” He is on record as saying he does not ”give a shit” about human rights. Yet he is beloved of the 16.6 million Filipinos who voted for him, seen as vulgar but honest, a breath of fresh air, and an iconoclastic, anti-imperialist rebel.
Through interviews with Duterte himself, his sister, daughter and son, two former presidents, old friends, death squad hitmen, and relatives of his victims, Channel 4 News’ Asia Correspondent Jonathan Miller shows that far from the media cartoon of The Godfather, John Wayne, Hugo Chavez, and Donald Trump rolled into one, Duterte is a sinister, dangerous man, who should not be taken lightly.
“‘Fire and fury’ is the mentality of despots everywhere. Miller has terrifyingly captured that condition—bullying, threatening, vengeful, and lethal.”
—Michael Wolff, author of Fire and Fury
“[C]aptures the almost fantastical nature of Mr Duterte’s life…Miller illuminates the darkness behind [Duterte’s] boasts…[and] deftly guides readers through this warped political landscape to reveal the vulnerability of a tempestuous leader.”
—The Economist
‘Miller, a correspondent for Britain’s Channel 4 news, bases his account on extensive reporting, placing the reader up close as Duterte’s manic and macho personality plunges the Philippines into perpetual civil conflict.”
—Joshua Kurlantzick, Washington Monthly
“[Rodrigo Duterte] captures the strongman leader in all his contradictions.”
—Reuters