A Comparative Analysis on the Political Leadership Style of the Previous Five Philippine Presidents to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte KING CHEUNG G. AU TERRY JOIE ALEXIS M. JUNTORIA RUSSEL PHILIP B. NUESTRO JUSTINE MARIE P. RODIL History of Political Thought Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Service College of Arts and Sciences Lyceum of the Philippines University-Cavite ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the political leadership style of the previous five presidents of the Philippines up to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in order to understand how our incumbent leadership style works and to determine if it is appropriate to our country’s current political condition. Leadership style means the approach of a president or any politician during his/her term. The first phase of the research involves interviewing political analysts in order to understand more the political styles of the presidents. Published literatures were also gathered for a more accurate result of the study. The final phase involves analyzing and comparing the data gathered from the interview and from the published literatures and tabularizing the final data for an easier understanding of the political styles. Keywords Leadership Style, Philippine Presidents, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo, Duterte, economic, military, religion, social welfare, opposition, approaches, characteristics, influences, liberal, economist, dependent, paternalist, passive, charismatic, populist, Political analysis and opinions INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Leadership, according to the Merriam-Webster, is the power or ability to lead other people. It is an important skills that we develop as we mature and gain more knowledge through socializing and working with different people. It is an ongoing process of influencing and supporting others to work enthusiastically as a group or as a community (M. Laya & J. Marquez, 2011). In politics, leadership is the complicated yet essential factor to govern any society. It is an essential skill for everyone especially for leaders leading a nation. Different societies have different approach and style in leading their people. These leadership styles may differ based from their culture, belief and from where they grew up. If leadership is the process of persuasion by which an individual induces a group to pursue objectives held or shared by the team, leadership style is the way of which the process of leadership is being carried out (John Gardner, On Leadership). It is different from a leadership trait which is stable and tends to be active regardless of any situation, one that is like a personality. Leadership style is flexible. One can change their leadership style depending on the situation they’re in. Thus when the situation changes, so does one style. It is a set of behaviors that one intentionally chooses to use which can be best fit to the situation (Murray Johannsen).