MANILA, Philippines — Out of 75 individuals, President Duterte is the 69th most powerful person in the world, according to the Forbes 2018 list, which is topped for the first time by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Xi dislodged Duterte’s “idol” Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world’s most powerful person, a title he held for four consecutive years. Putin is now ranked second, with US President Donald Trump in third.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel remains the world’s most powerful woman at number four on the Forbes 2018 List of the World’s Most Powerful People.
Malacañang said Duterte’s power emanated from the people and public trust.
Forbes cited Duterte’s bloody war on drug dealers and users, which he launched in 2016 soon after he became the country’s 16th president.
“So far his war on crime has already resulted in the killing of thousands of people across the archipelagic country,” Forbes said.
It also recognized that Duterte, 73, was elected president on the strength of a campaign that promised execution of drug dealers and other criminals.
“Duterte’s raw and vulgar vocabulary keeps him in the headlines: he called Obama ‘son of a whore’ and has used homophobic slurs to describe opponents,” Forbes added.
The list of 75 people included world leaders, businessmen, monetary authorities and investment bankers.
In compiling the list, Forbes looked into how many people those in the list have power over; the financial resources they control; if they have influence in more than one sphere; and how actively they wield their power to change the world.
Forbes said newcomers to the list include Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, US Federal Reserve chaiman Jerome Powell, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Brazil President Michel Temer, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Hui Ka Yan of China Evergrande, and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, among others. – With Christina Mendez