Duterte takes early lead in Time most influential polls

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte, who has gained international attention because of his brutal war against illegal drugs and tough talk, is the early frontrunner of an online poll for Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

As of yesterday, Duterte got four percent of the votes in the Time 100 poll, which opened last Friday.

In second place is Pope Francis, the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, with three percent of the votes.

Time 100 is an annual list of the most influential people in the world. Editors of the magazine will choose the people who will be part of the final list but readers were also asked to share their choices.

Voting for the Time 100 poll will close on April 16. The official list of the 100 most influential people will be announced four days later.

Duterte has been featured in several reports by the foreign media mainly because of the spate of killings linked to his crackdown on illegal drugs and his tirades against the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.  

Duterte previously said he does not care if he is unpopular with the international media as long as he performs his duty as president.  

Personalities who got two percent each in the Time 100 poll include Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, singer Beyoncé, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and US Democratic Party senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Also in the list are American gymnast Simone Biles, tennis player Serena Willams, Women’s March co-chairs Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez and Bob Bland, Facebook chairman and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, bestselling author J.K. Rowling, British actress Emma Watson, television host Oprah Winfrey, American actress Viola Davis, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, business magnate Elon Musk and US Democratic Party Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Completing the list of personalities with two percent each were US Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, illegal immigrant and activist Astrid Silva, American geaochemist and geobiologist Anne Hope Jahren, American swimmer Michael Phelps, singer Lady Gaga, Russian president Vladimir Putin, United Kingdom Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Theresa May, Apple Inc. chief executive officer Tim Cook, transgender Gavin Grimm, Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, American actress Melissa McCarthy, Amazon founder and chairman Jeff Bezos, American lawmaker John Lewis, Netflix co-founder and chief executive officer Reed Hastings, and comedian and television host Stephen Colbert.