<p>Filipino ;President Rodrigo Duterte has a flair for vulgarity. His ruthless nature earned him the nickname &ldquo;The Punisher&rdquo; and his profanity has appeared in headlines across the world. ;</p>
<p>Duterte&rsquo;s domestic popularity has increased following his violent crackdown on drugs. ;</p>
<p>As reported by TIME Magazine, Duterte just reached the top of the online poll for the publication&#8217;s annual &#8220;100 most influential people&#8221; list. The ;readers&rsquo; choice poll ends on April 16th. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;President Duterte is grateful to the Filipino people all over the world for their support for him and his agenda of real change in Philippine society,&rdquo; said presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella. ;</p>
<p>As a presidential candidate, Duterte pushed for an &ldquo;independent&rdquo; foreign policy, promising to stand up to the US and get money from everyone else. Since his election in May 2016, he has made friends with Moscow and signed $24 billion in deals with China.</p>
<p>Duterte seems to be getting along with China far better than his predecessors, and Beijing has already promised to build two bridges across the Pasig River &#8211; a waterway that bisects the Philippine capital of Manila.</p>
<p>He met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang earlier this month, and the two leaders signed a ;6-year development program that focuses on trade and investment.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The president said bilateral ties are found stronger, particularly in trade and commerce, and reaffirmed the importance of peaceful settlements of disputes,&rdquo; said Abella. ;</p>
<p>Duterte also has a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited the Philippines in January. Abe promised $8.7 billion in foreign aid.</p>
<p><em>This is the same man who called former President Barack Obama a &ldquo;son of a whore.&rdquo; ;</em></p>
<p>&ldquo;Despite all his shenanigans, he hit a strategic sweet spot,&rdquo; says Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science teacher in Manila. ;</p>
<p><strong>Author&#8217;s Note:</strong> Sometimes it pays to be bold (as we&rsquo;ve seen in the US with Trump), and Duterte&rsquo;s behavior has actually helped bring attention to his nation&rsquo;s problems. We predict his presidency will actually lead to a higher standard of living in the Philippines.</p>