‘President Duterte has been a character not just for Philippine consumption. Like it or not, the world watches out for the guy each time he speaks. It touches some cords elsewhere.’
The first 365 days of the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte practically had all the trappings of several past presidencies combined.
Martial Law, controversies, corruption, crimes, impeachment, health issues, Marcos, protests, church. Add to that the new ‘spices’—terrorism, global attention and foreign relations.
Yes, President Duterte is all that and then some.
But after all that, just about every Juan is getting used to waking up with a Rodrigo Duterte as the nation’s leader.
Save for the opposition and his critics. Everyday is a nightmare.
After his first year in office, a highlight reel made for him will probably be a montage of his inauguration where a President is seen on an inaugural with a folded barong—portent of the things to come that this leader will be working with his sleeves rolled up, his bloody war against illegal drugs, the testimonies of Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascanas, the jailing of Sen. Leila De Lima, the travesty of Sen. Antonio Trillanes, the Marcos burial, the peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines, his visits to China and Russia, the war in Marawi and his Martial Law declaration, and his tearful visit to fallen soldiers.
There was also the poison of corruption in his own circle leading to the firing of National Irrigation Administration (NIA) administrator and his campaign spokesperson Pete Lavina, the Bureau of Immigration scandal that shipped out two of his appointees, the firing of VP Leni Robredo from the cabinet, and a spat between two strong allies—Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Rep. Tonyboy Floirendo.
President Duterte’s first year has by far been more colorful than any presidency to note.
In the midst of the whirlwind of issues and events, President Rodrigo Duterte has the country’s economy jumping off to the world’s 10th fastest growing economy in 2017.
This was based on the World Bank’s latest edition of Global Economic Prospects. For 2017, Philippines’ economy is forecasted to grow between 6.5 to 7.5 percent or almost twice the country’s long-term growth.
Forbes.com recently reported that GDP Annual Growth Rate in Philippines averaged 3.68 percent from 1982 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 12.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 1988 and a record low of -11.10 percent in the first quarter of 1985, according to Tradingeconomics.com. The report attributed this to the fact that the Philippine economy has benefited from a stable macroeconomic environment of low inflation and low debt to GDP ratio, which has helped sustain a healthy domestic demand growth; and from a revival of the Asian Pacific region that have boosted exports, which account for close to a third of GDP. Exports from the Philippines rose 12.1 percent from a year earlier to USD 4.81 billion in April of 2017.
With a campaign battlecry “change is coming”, President Duterte’s first year ratings have been varied depending on who raises the scorecard.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, a staunch Presidential ally and partymate, has given President Duterte a grade of 8.5 to nine for his performance in his first year in office. Sen. Pimentel cited his high mark for the many changes brought by the President.
According to Pimentel, the President has fulfilled his campaign promise that “change is coming,” particularly in the areas of foreign relations and peace and order.
“We’ve felt so many changes… The world believes that we have an independent foreign policy. We are no longer being dictated by other countries. We determine our own course in international affairs,” Pimentel told an interview by the Philippine Star.
On the other hand, his critics believe he has not fulfilled his promises and has been a disappointment.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Basic Ecclesial Communities (CBCP-BEC) executive secretary Amado Picardal said Duterte has so far failed to address the problem of criminality and thinks the problem has even worsened.
But for Sen. Francis Escudero, who ran for the vice presidency alongside Sen. Grace Poe whom Duterte soundly beat, believe that Filipinos and Duterte “are getting used to each other and learning from each other.”
On the ground, President Duterte continues to enjoy massive support from the Filipino people and there are no indications it will diminish dramatically as predicted by Sen. Trillanes.
On social media, his army of followers continue to hold sway dominating cyberspace’s opinion atmosphere. The exchange of opinion, or call it bashing, has been dynamic and has been a good sign that democracy works pretty well. That is true as well with mainstream media.
The Chief Executive has managed to live with the criticisms—from the church, to the academe, to militant groups. And albeit he may not have the best men at the Palace to handle communications and press issues, he has maintained a strong cabinet bolstered by the appointment of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Foreign Affairs Secretary despite losing Gina Lopez (DENR) and the unpopular Perfecto Yasay (DFA) to the powerful Commission on Appointments.
Unprecedented highs have been some of the highlight marks of the Duterte administration. He flexed the country’s reach in international relations and has become allies with China and Russia as well as strengthening relations with ASEAN neighbors.
President Duterte has been a character not just for Philippine consumption. Like it or not, the world watches out for the guy each time he speaks. It touches some cords elsewhere.Proof to that is his being named among the most influential persons by international publication Time Magazine.
President Duterte has achieved a lot and at the same time lagged a lot. His critics are right–he is way, way behind his mission of bringing about change to this country.
But this 72-year old man is working his butt like crazy.
