MANILA - Rodrigo R. Duterte, the oldest to get elected as Philippine president and the first chief executive from Mindanao, turns 77 on Monday (March 28). Being the top leader of the country, he has faced the country's problems with his promise of "Tapang at Malasakit" or courage and empathy to the Filipino people. While it is Duterte's last to celebrate his birthday as the country's president, he would be remembered by his fellow Filipinos for his legacy. Let us take a look at how Duterte fulfilled his promises through his remarkable and tough stance on several issues. In honor of the country's 16th president, we have compiled a list of our top 12 quotes from "Tatay Digong". 1. On illegal drugs "If we cannot control the flow of drugs, then I will consider my presidency a total failure. So, I do not want that to happen. Do not do it... You start to f*** with drugs, you destroy my country. And if you destroy my country, I will kill you. Sigurado 'yan (That's for sure). Stop it, lalo na kayong malalaki (especially those who are involved in big-time operations). Wala akong pakialam diyan sa (I don't care about) human rights. I'm trying to save the youth." - during the 60th founding anniversary of Cor Jesu College and turnover of check to earthquake victims a the CJC Almendras Gym in Digos City, Davao del Sur on Dec. 30, 2019 Duterte initially vowed to end the drug proliferation nationwide in his first three to six months in power, but later admitted his self-imposed deadline was not so attainable, given the seriousness of the problem. Duterte, despite his apparent admission of his shortcomings, vowed to pursue the relentless fight against illegal drugs until his last days in office. True to his promise, a total of 24,303 villages nationwide have been cleared from illegal drugs from July 1, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2022. Only 11,129 villages have yet to be cleared of illegal drugs, while 6,613 others remain drug-free, according to the Real Numbers data released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, as of January 31 this year. Around 327,039 drug personalities have been arrested, while 6,229 others have died during the conduct of a total of 226,662 anti-drug operations. Anti-drug operatives have also dismantled a total of 1,008 drug dens and 18 clandestine shabu laboratories. Several types of illegal drugs worth PHP75.35 billion, including the PHP63.22 billion worth of shabu, have been seized since the start of the drug war in July 2016. A total of 14,389 high-value targets, including 396 elected public officials and 136 uniformed personnel, have been arrested. On the other hand, around 4,170 individuals belonging to 4 and 17 age group have been rescued. 2. On peace and order "My fellow Filipinos, we welcome this day with high hopes as we continue to work together for peace and security in our country... Guided by the strong sense of nationalism and commitment to serve the Filipino people, I am certain that we will be able to attain a more peaceful and progressive future for all." - during the joint National Task Force - Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict 4-B meeting at the Western Command Gymnasium in Puerto Princesa Palawan on November 4, 2021 Duterte, in his first years in office, attempted to forge a peace pact with the communist movement, but was forced to terminate the talks following the series of violations perpetrated by the rebels, including the killing spree of the government troops and civilians. But the foiled peace negotiations did not stop Duterte from keeping his vow to maintain peace and order in the country. On March 12, Duterte expressed confidence that he would be leaving the presidency with a "relatively peaceful" Mindanao, after he shepherded the passage of the historic Bangsamoro Organic Law that creates a more powerful autonomous region supervised by the Bangsamoro parliament. 3. On corruption "We are not proclaiming that we have gotten rid of corruption. There is still corruption in this government and any other government that will come after me; and in the past, mayroon talaga 'yan (it is already there). If there is a running bureaucracy and there is money involved and there are a lot of tables where the papers would go through, there will always be corruption. Kung walang -- ayaw ninyo wala, eh 'di sarahan mo ang gobyerno (If you don't want that, shut down the government). But then again, you choose which way to go. The most that we can do is to fight it." - during his Talk to the People delivered on May 13, 2021 Duterte has repeatedly assured the public that he has zero tolerance for corruption. Duterte's anti-corruption efforts led to the dismissal of high-ranking officials, including his close friends and allies embroiled in corruption allegations. The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, in its fourth year report released in March 2022, has already endorsed a total of 3,733 corruption-related complaints to concerned government agencies and offices. Around 108 of the 3,733 complaints have been referred to the Department of Justice and its Task Force Against Corruption, while 104 have been forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman. 4. On politics "Well, I said that I will retire from politics. I will start by just staying neutral in this except for a few guys who I think should be there in the Senate." - during the "Cabinet Report" hosted by acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on February 25, 2022 The whirlwind of politics, especially amid the campaign activities for the May 9, 2022 national and local elections, did not spare Duterte. The political drama continues, with some presidential candidates seeking a dialogue with Duterte and even pinning hope that they would secure the Chief Executive's endorsement to boost their candidacy. Earlier, Duterte's ruling party, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), endorsed presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. because the party saw him as the "candidate whose vision of governance is most aligned with PDP-Laban's 11-point agenda." Duterte, however, remained "neutral", for now, as he has yet to make a formal announcement of his chosen successor. 5. On jobs "Sana maawa ang Diyos patuloy-tuloy ito at mabuksan natin ang ekonomiya (I hope God will have mercy, so we can reopen the economy) and all the businesses will be opened so that people can really work again and improve the economic picture of the country." - during his Talk to the People on November 16, 2021 At the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in 2020, many Filipinos lost their jobs, making it difficult to cope with the health crisis. Two years later, Duterte decided to further reopen the economy to create more job opportunities for the Filipinos affected by the prevailing pandemic. The gradual reopening of the economy resulted in the drop in the country's unemployment rate. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority's report released in March 2022, there are 2.93 million jobless Filipinos in January 2022, lower than the 3.96 million reported in December 2021. 6. On food security "Let us also take this opportunity to recognize the indispensable role of our farmers in ensuring that the Filipino people will have food on the table. Their efforts remain an essential component in the country's food security strategy, especially during times of great need." - during the inauguration of first Narvacan Farmers' Market in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur on March 4, 2022 Duterte in 2019 inked Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law to ensure food security in the country and make the country's agriculture sector viable, efficient and globally competitive. RA 11203 creates the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to improve rice farmers' competitiveness and income amid liberalization of the Philippine rice trade policy that lifted quantitative restrictions on rice imports and replaced it with tariffs