TIME Magazine has released their 100 List of Most Influential People of the year. President Rodrigo Duterte, after topping the Readers’ Poll, made it to the list as one of the most influential leaders. His political nemesis, Senator Leila de Lima, also joins him on the list.
Duterte’s inclusion in the list comes as no surprise because the leader topped the recently concluded poll. De Lima, however, is part of the list of icons, mainly because she was among those chosen by the editors of TIME.
Duterte Profile By Former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria
As TIME explained, the list is not a ranking or a powerhouse list, but is a list of people who have exerted influence in their own fields. According to editor Nancy Gibbs, these are the people who “are shaping the course of this turbulent year.”
As is tradition, TIME works with other personalities in order to put together profiles for the 100 list. In the case of Duterte, former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria writes his profile. Gaviria presents a critical stance to Duterte’s anti-drug war which has claimed thousands of lives.
Gaviria also recommends a different solution to the problem, based on his own experience in Colombia. He says, “Duterte could start by treating drugs as a health, human rights and development issue. (Duterte) could prosecute the most violent criminals and provide treatment for users rather than condemn them to prison, or worse.”
De Lima According To Former US Ambassador Samantha Power
Samantha Power is a former US Ambassador to the United Nations. In her profile of Senator de Lima, she describes her as Duterte’s most vocal critic. Her crusade against the President, which has culminated in several testimonies about summary executions, has gotten her in trouble in the Senate.
After being stripped of her power in the legislative branch, Duterte’s allies also made moves to put together a case against her. She was jailed in February on corruption charges. Even though she is in jail, she still continues her fight against the President. She justifies this by saying, “It’s not O.K. with me that we have a murderous psychopath occupying the highest post in the land.”