John Oliver wants you to meet the Philippines' likely next president, Rodrigo Duterte, 'Trump of the East'

John Oliver warns America about the next Phillipine president
(Image credit: Last Week Tonight)

On Monday, voters in the Philippines cast ballots for a new president, vice president, and local officials. With 35 percent of the votes counted, Rodrigo "The Punisher" Duterte has a large lead over his two closest presidential rivals. Duterte, 71, has been mayor of Davao for more than 22 years, and as John Oliver noted on Sunday's Last Week Tonight, he is quite controversial. His comments and actions on the campaign trail, including kissing female supporters, have "earned him a reputation as the 'Trump of the East,'" Oliver said, and at times, "Duterte has seemed like he is trying to test the limits of basic human decency."

Duterte disavows knowledge of death squads in his city, though he acknowledged in one TV interview that he has killed "about three people." That didn't sit well with Oliver. "I'm sorry — about three people?" he said. "That’s not good. Not knowing how many people you've killed is like not knowing how many Vicodin you took: If you don't know the exact number, the answer is way too f---ing many." Despite his outrageous comments, Duterte led in the polls, "so he’s probably going to get elected president," Oliver said, but that "isn't just terrifying for the Philippines." You can watch below to see Oliver's doctored photo of Donald Trump shaking hands with Duterte in the Oval Office, but be warned: the language in the video is decidedly NSFW. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.