PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte says he pursues an independent foreign policy. This means we will not be beholden to anybody, and no country will dictate to us what we should or should not do.
This explains the venom with which the President speaks of those who criticize the manner he is carrying out his war on illegal drugs. Basically, the message is “It’s none of your business.”
Fair enough. A national leader must be able to do what he or she deems fit without any intervention, much less pressure, from anybody from outside. Not fellow leaders, not the foreign press, not international non-government organizations. It’s a free world—nobody can stop them from thinking or saying what they do.
Our President has, on numerous occasions, shown his maverick side. He does not feel the need to remain in the good graces of the United States or the United Nations. He does not care much for foreign aid. He slams adverse observations from foreign organizations.
But it does not mean he must shut them out—or any adverse opinion from anywhere—either.
This latest observation from Amnesty International is just another example. In an article in its web site, AI said Mr. Duterte is waging a murderous war on the poor. Immediately, a slew of denials and criticism ensued.
We do not believe the President is impervious to feedback. He has modified or softened his stand, for instance, on the fate that awaited journalists. After implying that murdered mediamen deserve what befell them for being corrupt, the President soon made distinctions between real advocates, paid hacks and rotten ones.
His suspension of Oplan Tokhang last week over public outrage over reported nefarious activities of the police also shows he listens to public pulse.
And just because the pulse comes from outside does not mean he must reject them outright. The President must acknowledge the attacks are not personal. The critics are just doing their jobs. And if he is doing his job as he is supposed to—no inadequacies and no excesses, then there is no reason he should not carry on.