[84] During Duterte's tenure as mayor, Davao City experienced economic boom and a significant decrease in crime from being a conflict-ridden area between communists and right-wing groups during the 1970s and 1980s, and is constantly rated as among the safest in the country.

[85][12] The city also ranks high in the world according to crowdsourced survey site Numbeo,[86][87] a narrative that gained currency in the national media, creating a widespread public perception that has been a significant factor in establishing support for his nationwide drug policy.

[33][100] In the April 2009 UN General Assembly of the Human Rights Council, the UN report (Eleventh Session Agenda item 3, par 21) said, "The Mayor of Davao City has done nothing to prevent these killings, and his public comments suggest that he is, in fact, supportive.

[112] In the following months leading to October, however, Duterte repeatedly declined his supporters' clamors for him to run as president because of what he described as a "flawed government system", as well as lack of funds and opposition from his family members—notably, from his daughter Sara.

[140] During his first 100 days in office, Duterte issued an executive order on freedom of information,[141] launched an intensified campaign against illegal drugs, sought to resume peace talks with communist insurgents, formulated a comprehensive tax reform plan, led efforts to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law, made efforts to streamline government transactions, launched the nationwide 9–1–1 rescue and 8888 complaint hotlines, established a one-stop service center for overseas Filipino workers, and increased in the combat and incentive pay of soldiers and police personnel.

[151][152] Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has said that the government required what he describes as an "audacious" economic strategy in order for the Philippines to "catch up with its more vibrant neighbors" by 2022 and help it achieve high-income economy status within a generation.

[187] Concerns arose worldwide due to the rising death toll during police operations,[188] and drug suspects reportedly fighting back ("nanlaban") was a common alibi of several policemen involved.

[197] Responding to public clamor, in October 2017, Duterte designated the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to lead anti-drug operations and temporarily barred the police from joining the raids.

Stating it would take him his entire term to eradicate it, he cited the difficulty in border control due to the country's fragmented geography and lamented that several government officials and law enforcers were involved in drug trafficking.

[241][242] The earliest terrorist attacks in Duterte's presidency occurred in September 2016 in Davao City; November 2016 in Butig, Lanao del Sur; and in April to May 2017 in Inabanga, Bohol, where the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) attempted to establish a position in the Visayas.

[247][248] The battle, which lasted for five months, became the country's longest urban warfare; the city, particularly the downtown area, was left in ruins,[249] largely due to militant fire and military airstrikes,[250][251] necessitating rehabilitation.

[271][272] In addition, Duterte offered positions for left-leaning activists in his administration, notably in four executive departments: Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, Social Welfare and Development, and Labor and Employment.

[294] When news about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread around the world, Duterte initially understated the threat of the disease and urged the public to refrain from inciting anti-Chinese sentiment, which at that time saw a global rise.

[301] His administration opted to use what it described as "draconian measures" to control the contagion,[302] and Duterte employed the military and police to enforce the public's strict adherence to quarantine and health protocols.

[311] In addition, in an apparent effort to help the Philippines gain access to US-developed vaccines, Duterte granted absolute pardon to US soldier Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was serving prison for killing transgender Jennifer Laude in 2014.

[318] Though his administration successfully reached its target of vaccinating 70% of the Philippine population,[319][320] Duterte, along with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, was implicated in a scandal involving allegedly overpriced medical supplies and equipment.

[333][334] To hasten the expansion of the nation's power capacity, Duterte established the inter-agency Energy Investment Coordinating Council tasked with simplifying and streamlining the approval process of big-ticket projects.

[356][357] In December 2019, Duterte signed a law institutionalizing Malasakit Centers in all hospitals run by the Department of Health, allowing indigent patients to efficiently access financial medical assistance from various government agencies.

[363][364] He also signed medical scholarships for deserving students in state universities and colleges or partner private higher education institutions through the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act on December 23, 2020.

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.

During the meeting, Xi asked Duterte to "play an important role" in improving Philippine-China relations, which were rapidly deteriorating under the Marcos administration that sought to gravitate towards the United States by expanding the number of bases American troops can access under the EDCA.

[468] On March 9, 2024, Duterte's longtime friend and Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, was ordered arrested by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation after his conviction by a US District Court for alleged cases of sex trafficking, rape, fraud, and cash smuggling.

[484] Additional nationwide protests, called Hakbang ng Maisug (brave) prayer rallies, were held in Dumaguete,[485] Tagum,[486] and Angeles[487] by Duterte and Quiboloy's supporters, who voiced their grievances against the Marcos administration.

Among the witnesses in the House probe was former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager and retired Police Colonel Royina Garma, who accused Duterte of wanting to apply his Davao model approach of the war on drugs on a national scale.

During the session, Duterte admitted to using a "death squad" to combat crime as Davao mayor, but denied directing extrajudicial killings in his national drug war, now being examined by the ICC.

[517] Despite keeping a low profile during his post-presidency, Duterte retained his popularity, topping four consecutive surveys conducted separately in March,[425] June,[452] September,[518] and December 2023 by PUBLiCUS Asia on the voting disposition for 2025 Philippine Senate election.

[548] Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Pulse Asia reported in September 2020 that 84% of Filipinos approved of the administration's efforts to contain the virus and provide assistance to those who lost their jobs; 92% of the poll respondents also agreed Duterte had "done well" in preventing the contagion in the country.

[559] Duterte is also known for his straightforward and vocal attitude in public, especially in interviews, showing no hesitation in profusely using profanity live on-screen on numerous occasions despite formal requests by media groups and schools beforehand to abstain.

[469] In his post-presidency in January 2024, Duterte visited the wake of CBCP president Fernando Capalla in Davao Cathedral, during which he stated he attends Masses thrice every Sunday; he further added "I am a very holy man.

The result was that Duterte (then Davao City mayor) was found to have "antisocial narcissistic personality disorder", exemplified by "gross indifference, insensitivity and self-centeredness", and a "grandiose sense of self-entitlement and manipulative behaviours".