"Roque and Panelo only succeeded at making the President less credible."
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President Duterte made another controversial statement recently. He has neither stolen anything nor jailed his critics, and his biggest sin is extrajudicial killings. After that, his minions, specifically spokesman Harry Roque and presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, scrambled all over the place to explain what he really meant.
Roque said the President should not be taken seriously because he was just joking. But who is laughing?
What Roque is implying is that the President is someone who does not mean what he says. If I were the President, I would have fired him on the spot.
Panelo, in an attempt to deflect criticism, claims that the President is a Visayan—someone who does not realize the implications of what he is saying.
Does he want us to think that our President is stupid?
The minions at the Palace should stop trying to interpret what the President means when he talks.
The only thing in which they have succeeded so far is to make Mr. Duterte less credible. I am sure that thePresident can correct himself if he wants to instead of relying on his minions.
The question now is whether this statement was an admission of guilt. I know that statements against interests weigh heavily in a court of law whether or not these are uttered in court. That’s for a court of law to decide, in the case of the President.
What I am saying is that the less his minions do damage control, the better.
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Poll surveys have shown that people are concerned most of all about soaring prices of goods and services. Why, inflation may hit 7 percent by the end of the year!
No matter how our economic managers try to minimize the situation, they cannot dispute the fact that Super Typhoon Ompong has aggravated the whole thing.
I am not an economist, but I know that countries with uncontrollable inflation have been pushed to the brink.
Ad hoc solutions will not do when the people can no longer afford the food they eat. The President may now have very good acceptance and trust ratings, but if inflation is not addressed soon, people will lose faith in the government. I have seen this happen to many governments in the past.
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With the retirement of Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo de Castro last Monday, the Judicial and Bar Council is now looking for her replacement from among the three most senior associate justices: Antonio Carpio, Lucas Bersamin and Diosdado Peralta. They are all automatically qualified.
Carpio has been bypassed so many times. After Sereno’s ouster, he declined nomination out of delicadeza. He said he did not want to profit from Sereno’ ouster.
Now there is no longer any obstacle to his appointment. Carpio is due to retire in October 2019. His time has come not only because of the time-honored seniority rule, but because of his credentials, probity and integrity.
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The appointment of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat was well received. Indeed she is qualified, having the experience as agriculture undersecretary. I have gone on record hailing her appointment.
But now as tourism secretary, Berna must think out of the box. She cannot just rely on “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” I think this is meaningless. Tourists can have fun anywhere they go. It’s a state of mind.
What Miss Puyat should do is to come out with a more appropriate slogan and concentrate on the aspect of tourism that other Southeast Asian countries do not have. I refer to medical tourism-dentistry.
She can tap the leading hospitals in the country. I have been told that the Philippines can truly excel in medical/ dental tourism.
She can also concentrate on retirement, considering the aging populations of Japan, the United States and other countries in the EU. There are many developers in the Philippines who can help the DOT along this line.
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During the Marcos regime, there was a concerted effort to promote arts and culture, primarily because of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. She gave priority to visual arts, sculpture, dance, and folklore.
It was during the Marcos administration when the country gave priority to the preservation of traditional places and culture. National artists were recognized. Sadly, after Marcos, arts and culture were no longer a priority. President Cory Aquino tried her best to erase anything identified with the Marcoses.
Is it time for President Duterte to revive the people’s interest in the arts? Why not?
There are so many artists here who could well compete with international masters.