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His leadership has been marked by a murderous so-called war against drugs and a rise in violent Islamist militancy, but the Philippine President is still riding high in the popularity stakes, a year to the day since he took office.
Rodrigo Duterte indicated he may mark the first anniversary of his inauguration in the troubled Marawi City, on his home island of Mindanao, but locals were unsure if that could safely proceed.
The controversial President declared martial law there five weeks ago, and the Philippine military is continuing the battle to take back the city from militants linked to the Islamic State terrorist group.
But even being apparently caught off guard by the radical and well-armed militants has not dented President Duterte's popularity and stature.
"He is very tough in his decisions on drug crimes and he's also tough in dealing with the terrorists, especially in Marawi City," president of the Mindanao Daily newspaper Dante Sudaria told the ABC as an explanation for Rodrigo Duterte's popularity.
"He's very liked by the people of Mindanao."
Tough on drugs
Mr Duterte won the election in May last year, receiving massive support and collecting more than 16 million votes after vowing to kill suspected drug dealers and other criminals.
He was inaugurated on June 30, 2016 and almost immediately began his so-called war on drugs.
Human Rights Watch says 7000 people have been killed as part of that campaign, but according to political commentators in the Philippines the policy that has encouraged vigilantes to undertake a murderous street campaign has been overwhelming popular.
"This is still a campaign that is supported by a lot of people, around 80 percent," Philippines political analyst, Ramon Casiple said.
"Nightlife has resumed, there is not much fear, the drug lords are disappearing from the streets so there are vastly different communities now."
Switching of alliances
President Duterte's first year as the Philippines leader will also be remembered for his dramatic shift in foreign policy and the move away from traditional allies like the United States in favour of a focus on China and Russia.
"The policy of independent foreign policy is basically what he is following and it's meant leaving the special relations with the US," Professor Casiple told the ABC.
"He has removed tensions in relations with China and we have a higher level of relations with Russia and that is already producing huge investments and cooperations."
Human Rights Groups have condemned the international community for not doing more to try and rein in Mr Duterte, and say a disaster has unfolded in the South-East Asian nation in the past 12 months.
"You're talking about more than 7,000 people who have been killed in what is essentially an illegal execution campaign," Phil Robertson from Human Rights Watch said of the extra-judicial killings in the Philippines.
The President has continually pushed back against international accountability.
"We have been calling on the international community to play a larger role, we are calling for the UN to launch an impartial investigation of the situation in the Philippines but you know this is going to be a long-haul project," Mr Robertson said.
Human Rights Watch seeks charges for President
It is widely accepted that the vicious crackdown on drug users has also led to further overcrowding in Filipino prisons and the persecution of the Presidents' critics.
Human Rights Watch wants the United Nations Human Rights council to establish a commission of inquiry and for the President to eventually be charged.
"Everyone should remember that the Philippines is a member of the International Criminal Court and if the prosecutors decide that there is a case to answer for crimes against humanity for this massive campaign of illegal killing, then President Duterte will have to answer for that," Mr Robertson said.
Mr Duterte — dubbed the "Trump of Asia" — has also became known for his loose tongue, from praising Hitler, to describing the former US President Barak Obama as a "son of a whore".
He has also insulted the Pope and made offensive remarks about an Australian missionary who was raped and murdered in 1989, to name a few examples.
While at home he appears to be praised for his response to the unfolding situation in Marawi, abroad it is widely believed that his focus on drug crime allowed Islamist groups to stock arms and strike, causing great concern and increasing the threat across the region.
Topics: world-politics, drugs-and-substance-abuse, unrest-conflict-and-war, human, crime-prevention, philippines, asia, united-states