Philippines president ‘doesn’t care what NZ and world think about his human rights record’

Controversial Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says he doesn’t care what other countries - including New Zealand - think of the way he rules. 

Duterte's spokesman and closest aide Harry Roque says the President is only concerned about what Filipinos think and insists he remains a very popular leader.

Asked by 1News Political Reporter Katie Bradford if the president is concerned about the country’s reputation, his spokesman and closest aide Harry Roque said: “He does not care”.

He said the President had no interest in listening to the rest of the world.

That’s despite polls showing he’s gone from having 91% popularity to around 60-65%.

Bradford sat down with Roque, a former human rights lawyer who is now in Duterte’s cabinet, in Manila for a wide-ranging interview. 

The President’s war on drugs has seen 3000 people killed in the past two years and thousands more investigated or held without charge for suspected drug use. 

Journalists in the country say the freedom of the press is under threat. 

Catholics make up 81 percent of the population and, although President Duterte has been an extremely popular leader, some recent comments may change that. 

Last week he called the Catholic God a “S.O.B” and has revealed he was abused by a Catholic priest as a child - increasing tensions between the church and Catholics. 

Duterte’s actions have led to human rights concerns from organisations and governments around the world. 

But Roque says the war on drugs is working and when there were accusations of unlawful killings, those are investigated.

* Katie Bradford is travelling in South-East Asia as a Jefferson Fellow, thanks to the East-West Centre and Asia NZ Foundation.