Philippines to elect ‘Donald Trump of the East’

It looks almost inevitable now that the Philippines’ next president will be a man who has said he would kill his own children if they took drugs and has vowed to challenge China by jet-skiing to a disputed island to plant his country’s flag. 

Rodrigo Duterte has a commanding lead in opinion polls ahead of Monday’s election, much to the dismay of business chiefs, investors, and diplomats who see him as a clown with no clear economic policies and a possible liability for the country.

Brash and openly scathing of the political establishment on the campaign trail, he has been likened to Donald Trump.