My column title, shamelessly stolen from the columns of the late great Max Soliven, seems an apt description of yesterday’s main speechifier before Congress—a small-town mayor who roared out of the dusty south a year ago, six-shooters blazing, to try and clean up the dirty, drug-ridden Big City.
A year later, what’s happened with the President’s promises from his very first Sona? Here are some highlights, courtesy of our friends at DZME where I spoke yesterday:
Ceasefire with the Reds—Duterte went so far as to appoint several NDF luminaries to his Cabinet and sub-Cabinet. But the Reds will not be appeased and seem to prefer to “talk and fight.” Well, they’re likely to get that, in spades.
AFP modernization—A temporary casualty of Duterte’s pivot away from the US, as China (and maybe Russia) gear up to become bigger military partners. But the Marawi troubles ought to revive US interest in keeping us armed.
Agriculture—Secretary Piñol delivered on free irrigation and nationwide soil analysis, while infrastructure buildout is ongoing. But he’s probably less enthusiastic about recent liberalization of rice imports, which to our mind is essential to assure stable supply of affordable rice while generating tariff revenues to help cushion the blow on our farmers.
Climate change—Urong sulong, now we’re positive about the Paris accords. Let’s hope Duterte doesn’t forget his promise not to let climate change measures “stymie our industrialization.”
Disaster response—Expected completion this year of resettlement housing for all “Yolanda” victims, which languished during the PNoy years.
Erring officials—Lots of high-level casualties, with Duterte himself cracking the whip over “even a whiff of suspicious behavior.” Less successful in some high-profile agencies, like PNP, where formerly flamboyant General Bato has hunkered down to the task of cleaning out decades-old Augean stables.
Federalism—It’s good that both the Senate President and the Speaker are gung-ho, because it’s their joint ConAss that has to deliver the goods. But Duterte still hasn’t appointed his 25-man Commission to oversee the process of charter change.
Freedom of information—Unqualified success, with Duterte outdoing Congress by voluntarily putting himself and the executive branch under the spotlight.
Human rights—Media killings are down but drug-related killings are up, a fact which distresses the meddlesome ex-colonizers in the US Congress and EU Parliament. Unfortunately for them, most Filipinos believe the human rights of actual and potential victims of drug addicts are at least as important as the addicts’.
Infrastructure—With “Build Build Build” being rolled out to the tune of P8.4 trillion, no one can accuse Duterte of failing to put his money where his mouth is.
International relations—As promised, Indonesia and Malaysia now coordinate with us on joint sea and air patrols, after the ISIS threat became more real in Marawi.
Jobs—Very much a work in progress, since permanent reductions in unemployment are possible only with sustainably strong economic growth (at least 7 percent p.a. year after year). But underemployment for some reason has abated the last two quarters.
Mining and illegal logging—Former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez got everyone excited with her hyper-activist new policies. But reality caught up with her extremism, and her replacement, a former AFP chief of staff, will get better cooperation from the industry.
Rehabilitation—The 10,000-bed mega-facility inside Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija may turn into a white elephant if the safety net intended to catch drug users isn’t cast wider and deeper. Less than 300 patients have been processed to date.
Social welfare—The jury is still out on specific reforms promised, like increased spending on basic education or improving government hospitals. But DSWD head Judy Taguiwalo, an NDF stalwart, has impressed and endeared, with her outspokenness and no-nonsense ways.
Transportation—Lots of room for improvement despite the obvious sincerity and take-charge manner of DOTr head Art Tugade. License plates and driver’s licenses are still unavailable, MRT3 is still creaking along, and we narrowly missed being hit by a truly harebrained scheme of the dimwits at LTFRB to take Uber and Grab off the streets.
West Philippine Sea—Duterte has used the UN arbitral ruling left to him by PNoy, not to wage a Quixotic crusade, but to put some steel behind a much more practical campaign to win China over as a trading and investment partner while “agreeing to disagree.”
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DID YOU KNOW THAT… in his very first SONA, in 1936, the illustrious Manuel L. Quezon used only one Tagalog word, “Kasamas” (not even grammatically correct)? But in that same speech he also called for making Filipino the national language. Quezon famously preferred his country to be run like hell by Filipinos rather than like heaven by Americans, and unfortunately he got his wish, many times over.
Many years later, in 2010, the much less illustrious BS Aquino III was the first president to deliver his maiden SONA entirely in Filipino. That probably didn’t go over too well with his foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario, who had to rely on interpreter’s headphones to understand what his boss was saying, and who later led the UN charge against China, likely at the behest of his shadowy American friends.
What you hear really isn’t always what you get. Filipinos who hear the same profanities from Duterte’s mouth that scandalize Westerners also see the monumental reforms he’s attempting to bring about on their behalf. They get it, they get him, and that’s why his ratings are as high as they are.
Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.