At 71, President Duterte is the oldest person ever elected to the presidency. This, however, does not seem to hinder him from embarking on an ambitious program to accomplish within his six-year term. He wants to amend the Constitution to federalize the government, end the internecine warfare that has bedeviled this country by signing a peace deal with the CPP/NPA and the Muslim militant factions in Mindanao, eliminate criminality and corruption, chart an independent foreign policy, and embark on a monumental infrastructure program.
Any one or two of this efforts could already tax a healthier and much younger man. This President, however, intends to get the job done. If successful, President Duterte will undoubtedly be elevated into the pantheon of greatness. But there is still more than five years to go and a lot could still happen between now and 2022.
For one, the programs are not that easy to accomplish. Eliminating crime and corruption is almost impossible. Right now, however, the President is on a roll. His popularity and trust ratings remain high. Most importantly, the economy continues to grow at a robust rate, outpacing our neighbors in the Asean region. This is at least something Filipinos can be proud of. Who knows, we might regain a lot of lost ground and catch up with some of our neighbors that have left us behind.
With the President’s leadership style, he can get everyone to toe the line. The only drawback to this, as a friend told me, is that the President has tendencies to become a caudillo in reference to those South American strongmen in the 1950s. Unlike them, however, President Duterte is limited to a six-year term and even if he wants to continue, he probably will be too old in 2022.
Amending the current constitution to federalize the government can be done before President Duterte’s term ends in 2022. A peace deal with all the warring factions can also be done. Whether the peace deal will be supported by majority of the public is of course something else. The management of the economy is a plus factor for the President.
It is also fortunate that our economic planners have the same vision of boosting infrastructure spending and are willing to spend trillions of pesos just for construction. If all the plans will materialize, the government will be spending 7.5 percent of GDP to improve infrastructure. It is in the areas of crime fighting, anti-corruption drive, conducting an independent foreign policy and his well-publicized profanities which might put a dent on how history will eventually rate him as the leader of his country. His anti-drug campaign which has reportedly killed anywhere between 7,000 to 8,000 people is now known the world over and has generated widespread criticisms from various sectors. The President simply reacted by telling his critics to go to hell. One consequence of the anti-criminality campaign is that our jails are now bursting with prisoners.
Our jails, which are already overcrowded to begin with, are so packed with people. They are like animals in their condition—and we should all be ashamed of it. The government must do something to improve the overcrowding. With regard to the so-called extrajudicial killings, the country will eventually come to terms with this whether it was the right thing to do or whether the President and his police went overboard in their zealousness to eliminate the illegal drug menace.
As someone who has served in the AFP and Police for a long time, I hope that our police system will be able to ride this episode and still be able to serve and protect the people in the years to come. It is interesting to note that in spite of the President’s high popularity and trust ratings, there two areas where his ratings went down significantly. The killings as a result of the anti-drug war and his ability to protect and defend the territorial integrity of the country which brings us to his independent foreign policy.
There is no denying that he has singlehandedly taken the bull by the horn and reversed our long-standing historical relationship with the United States as he shifted towards China. When he ordered the military to occupy several islets in the South China Sea being claimed by the Philippines and plant the Philippine flag, China warned him not to. True to form, he took the warning as an advice and will no longer go there because as he said, China is a true friend.
To serious foreign affairs observers, these moves are mystifying to say the least. Why does he keep issuing statements only to backtrack later on? During his Middle East trip, he also announced that the Filipinos are ready to die for Qatar and he is willing to send a division if need be to help defend the country. Does the President even realize what it takes to deploy an army division overseas?
Maybe the President should pause a little and really think through what to say. The Filipino people may have grown used to his rhetoric but it is entirely a different to go abroad and say those things. As the President very well knows, conducting foreign policy is a complicated business. And one wonders whether US Vice President Mike Pence bypassing the country to confer with other Asian allies is a show of displeasure. The President does not probably care one bit. With all his good intentions, let us all hope that he will eventually take us to the Promised Land and not to Neverland.