page_title: Rodrigo Duterte
section_title: Foreign policy
hierarchical_section_title: Rodrigo Duterte / Presidency / Foreign policy
caption_attribution_description: English: This &#32;map was created with GunnMapGunnMap was created by Arthur Gunn and is available, free, at http://gunn.co.nz/map/ and http://gunnmap.herokuapp.com/.Please attribute by linking to http://gunn.co.nz/map/. Foreign trips of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte &#160;&#160; Philippines &#160;&#160; Countries visited by Duterte
context_page_description: Rodrigo Roa Duterte, also known as Digong and Rody, is a Filipino politician who is the 16th and incumbent President of the Philippines and the first from Mindanao to hold the office.
  He is the chairperson of PDP–Laban, the ruling political party in the Philippines. Duterte took office at age 71 on June 30, 2016, making him the oldest person to assume the Philippine presidency; the record was previously held by Sergio Osmeña at the age of 65.
  Born in Maasin, Southern Leyte, Duterte studied political science at the Lyceum of the Philippines University, graduating in 1968, before obtaining a law degree from San Beda College of Law in 1972. He then worked as a lawyer and was a prosecutor for Davao City, before becoming vice mayor and, subsequently, mayor of the city in the wake of the Philippine Revolution of 1986. Duterte won seven terms and served as mayor of Davao for over 22 years.
  Frequently described as a populist and a nationalist, Duterte's political success has been aided by his vocal support for the extrajudicial killing of drug users and other criminals.
context_section_description: The Duterte administration has vowed to pursue an "independent foreign policy" that would reject any meddling by foreign governments, reiterating Article II, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution which states: "The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination." In September 2016, Duterte said: "We will observe and must insist on the time-honored principle of sovereignty, sovereign equality, non-interference and the commitment of peaceful settlements of dispute that will serve our people and protect the interests of our country."
  Duterte made his first international trips as president to Vientiane, Laos and Jakarta, Indonesia on September 5–9, 2016.
caption: International trips made by Duterte during his presidency
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