SINGAPORE Ambassador Kok Li Peng expressed optimism that President Rodrigo Duterte’s “doer” leadership will help the Philippines “charge ahead” among Southeast Asia and Asian countries.
Kok also said Duterte has some similarity with Singapore’s well-loved founding father Lee Kuan Yew who raised Singapore’s status from developing to a developed country.
“Both men have been characterized as doers. I think that’s a good description of how they’re driving their respective agendas,” the envoy said during the Pandesal Forum at Kamuning in Quezon City.
“I think looking at the policies that the new administration is putting in place in economic and business realm, there’s room for optimism. The Philippine economy is charging ahead, it is one of the best performers in Southeast Asia and in Asia,” she added.
Kok said Singapore nationals have “benefitted well” under Lee’s leadership before he died in 2015 and “the Philippine will [also benefit] under the President’s leadership as well.”
Citing her observation during the President’s official visit to Singapore in December 2016, Kok said that both Lee and Duterte stood out in terms of “political will” and highlighted Duterte’s “magnetic appeal and charisma” when he went to Singapore last year.
“They were in leadership positions at different times. I think the challenges the late prime minister faced were quite different from the challenges the President is facing today. But I think both equally possess political will and determination,” Kok said.
Kok said she doesn’t see any slowdown in the economy because Duterte has been working very hard to bring investment in the country in every foreign trip.
“There’s no reason to expect that there will be any less momentum. You can see that the President has been working very hard to bring in assistance from countries in the region. And countries in the region are responding,” she added.
She also expressed optimism in the two ongoing two peace processes between the Philippine government and the MILF and the NPA.
“Two peace processes are going in parallel. I think it’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to be resolved overnight. If it were, it would have been done years ago,” Kok said.
The envoy started her diplomatic tour of duty as an ambassador to the Philippines on March 30, 2015, or during the leadership of former President Benigno Aquino III.
