‘The Digong’ has disrupted presidential politics

Just as the American political elite has been disrupted by Donald “The Donald,”Trump, the tough-talking, cussing billionaire who is leading the Republican primaries, Philippine politics has been unsettled by the rise of Davao City Mayor Rodgigo Duterte in the presidential polls. From Digong Duterte, he is now “The Digong,”no surname required because of his surge in both national recognition and in the polls.

Even the befuddled pollsters themselves are probably asking this question. Who is this guy and what makes him a preferred presidential candidate? By all definitions, he is not a standard-issue frontrunner.