Why Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is making headlines

Rodrigo who?
The Philippines president.

The one with one too many verbal disasters?
Exactly. The maverick famous for his profanity that has included outbursts aimed at Pope Francis and Barack Obama.

What did he blurt now?
Well, Mr Duterte, in his own words, had a divine intervention.

You mean God spoke to him?
That’s what Duterte said.

Sounds corny!
Apparently, the voice of god spoke to Duterte on a flight home from Japan.

What did God say in this inflight intervention?
According to the president, the voice, which he ascertained came from the Lord, said that the plane would crash unless he stopped cursing.

You don’t say!
And Duterte did agree to watch his tongue and clean up his foul-mouthed reputation.

Did it work out?
Not exactly. He did land safe but sprinkled some profane words while addressing a group of soldiers in Davao City, thus ending his brief venture into linguistic temperance.

Not surprising.
True. Some Filipinos even placed bets on how long Duterte’s pledge would last. The nickname 'Trump of the East' sounds about right.