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Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte says being sexually abused as a child had major influence on his politics
By James Rothwell
Telegraph (UK)
October 16, 2016
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/16/philippines-leader-rodrigo-duterte-says-being-sexually-abused-as/
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| Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during a news conference upon his arrival from a state visit in Vietnam |
[with video]
Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, has said that being sexually abused as a child had a major impact on his politics, including a war on drugs which has left more than 3,000 people dead.
In his first interview since being sworn in as leader, Mr Duterte said his abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest largely shaped his personality and his political development.
Asked whether the experience affected his world view, Mr Duterte told Al Jazeera English: "Yes, to a large extent actually...it is what you get on the way that shapes your character, and even your politics.
"It sort of blends into something which, it can be said forms your own values in life," he added.
Mr Duterte, who won the Philippines' general election by a landslide last May, first revealed the abuse during a speech on the campaign trial in December 2015.
He claimed to have been molested by a priest named Father Paul Falvey at some point during the 1950s.
"That’s how we lost our innocence," he said at the time. He said he did not report the incident because “I was young then and I was afraid of what will happen.”
The experience contributed to his "sexual awakening," said Mr Duterte, adding that he had already forgiven the priest, who is understood to have died many years ago.
Since he came to power, the controversial leader has waged a bloody war on crime by encouraging his citizens to carry out vigilante killings.
In a recent speech he said the killing of the Philippines' estimated 3 million drug dealers and users was justified as they were not human. "Crime against humanity? In the first place, I'd like to be frank with you: are they humans? What is your definition of a human being?" he said.
"Human rights? Use it properly in the right context if you have the brains.
"You cannot wage a war without killing," he said, adding that many drug users were beyond rehabilitation.
An estimated 3,0000 people have died in Mr Duterte's drug war, including a five-year-old girl reportedly shot in the head during a botched vigilante attack on a suspected dealer.
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