One year into his stewardship of Malacanang, President Duterte continues to baffle both his supporters and critics who are at a loss on the institutional changes he has embarked upon.
“Hindi nila siya maintidihan basically because President Duterte is not a traditional politician but one who is intent on effecting change in the long-term,” Prof. Ramon Beleno III, political analyst of the Ateneo de Davao University, told the weekly Kapehan ng Dabaw yesterday.
Beleno said that compared to his immediate predecessors, Duterte has been doing very well.
He said that at his age, President Duterte has in fact been performing beyond his capacity. “If only he could tone down on his (use) of words.”
Beleno said President Duterte has been fulfilling most of his campaign promises.
In Beleno’s estimate, the anti-drugs and anti-corruption campaign as well as an independent foreign policy that Duterte has pursued have doing very well and continue to gain him high approval ratings.
But in doing so he has also created several enemies, he said.
Prof. Beleno said the war against drugs has been opposed by human rights advocates and liberal-minded individuals while the war against corruption has run smack into well-entrenched individuals and vested interests who had the capacity and resources to influence government policies. These ruling elite come mostly from the upper class.
He said the key to understanding Duterte as President is to study Davao politics. “You have to understand Davao politics to understand how he thinks and how he works.”
Beleno said one problem that the Duterte administration has been facing is the apparent gap between the President and his communications’ department.
He indicated that the communications department has been unable to project Duterte’s actions and policies vis-à-vis his long-term promise to effect institutional change.
Duterte’s independent foreign policy also puzzles many. “Actually, the President is stretching the boundaries of (international) friendship to gain space and distance for him to maneuver.”
“He in fact clarified latter that he was not anti-US but only anti-Obama,” said Beleno.
At the same time, Beleno said any chance that the elite will be able to mount a campaign to dislodge the President is “50-50.”
But he said any impeachment proceeding is not certain to succeed against a popularly-elected president.
At the same time, Beleno said the President’s choice of former military and police officers to hold responsible positions of government is understandable.
“You have to have people whom you can trust but anyway this is temporary,” he said.
