“Duterte has no moral authority to lecture world leaders on the Philippines being a bastion of democracy.”
“Duterte has no moral authority to lecture world leaders on the Philippines being a bastion of democracy.”
Early this month, US President Joe Biden convened a two-day virtual “Summit for Democracy”with heads of states and “voices from the business and non-government sectors” to join the United States in “taking action to strengthen democracy.”
In his invitation to participants, including President Rodrido Duterte, Biden said he looked forward to welcoming them and hearing their ideas on “how we can foster a more democratic, equitable, inclusive and sustainable world.”
So what did Duterte tell the forum?
One: “The Philippines was the first republic in Asia and the inspiration of all Asian struggles for independence. Today, we have a vibrant democracy and an open and diverse society (where) freedom of expression and of the press are fully enjoyed.”
Duterte is the last person, we think, to talk about democracy in the Philippines. From Day One on June 30, 2016, when he took his oath of office and vowed to defend the Constitution, he was already tearing the document to shreds.
How? He promised during the campaign to end the drug menace in the country in three to six months. But the war on drugs was already in progress soon after his electoral victory as the police had already been sufficiently emboldened to launch anti-drug operations with uniformly deadly results,the “nanlaban” narrative serving to justify the “shoot-first, ask-questions-later” approach that underpins the whole campaign up to now, nearly six years later.
Official statistics put the tally of the war on drugs at nearly 7,000, but human rights groups here and abroad insist that between 20,000 to 30,000 have actually died, many of them in alleged extra-judicial killings or EJKs.
Duterte has no moral authority to lecture world leaders on the Philippines being a bastion of democracy during his watch with his crackdown on dissent and suppression of press freedom.
He has sent to jail a sitting senator, Leila de Lima, on trumped-up charges of alleged involvement in illegal drugs. He was also instrumental in shutting down, through his allies in Congress, the media conglomerate ABS-CBN, on similarly false charges of non-payment of taxes, among others. His administration has also hounded Maria Ressa, the founder of Rappler, an independent online news service, with an avalanche of baseless libel and tax cases.
Since Duterte assumed office in 2016 up to this month, no less than 22 journalists have also been killed. Human rights groups have also cited the prevailing culture of impunity in the country, with the growing number of killings of activists and members of the legal profession. At least 65 lawyers have been killed from 2016 up to September 2021, according to lawyers’ groups.
Two, Duterte also told the global meeting: “Hard but necessary reforms needed to be made, deep wounds of divisions needed to be healed, and stark inequalities needed to be redressed. All difficult undertakings but we did what we could and should…My government worked to give the Filipino people the basic means to lead a life of dignity. This entails creating jobs, safeguarding peace and security, and instituting social safety nets. We have made significant headway especially in economic expansion but COVID-19 struck and reversed many of our hard-earned gains.”
To be sure, not all is doom and gloom in the economic front. The much-vaunted infrastructure program called “Build-Build, Build” is working, but apparently at a glacial pace. Remember how many flagship projects were supposed to be started in 2017 and completed by the middle of next year? No less than 75, if we recall right, but the accomplishment rate at this point is closer to 20 percent, if we’re to believe recent assessments.
Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with its focus on lockdowns and mobility restrictions often marked by draconian measures by the police against those not wearing face masks and face shields or improperly wearing them, or violating social distancing regulations, contributed to the economic slowdown that led to loss of many jobs and the closure of thousands of micro, small and medium enterprises across the country since March 2020.
And three, Duterte crowed: “My administration will ensure an honest, peaceful, credible, and free elections in May. It will be my highest honor to turn over the reins of power to my successor knowing that in the exercise of my mandate I did my best to serve the Filipino nation.”
We have serious doubts that the May 2022 elections will be “honest, peaceful, credible and free.” In the first place, Duterte himself appears hell-bent on keeping himself in power for life even if the Constitution prohibits him from seeking reelection. He even considered running for vice president apparently to keep himself beyond the reach of any investigation by the International Criminal Court of “crimes against humanity”. And then he filed a certificate of candidacy for senator because he claims he wants to teach the senators lessons on how to conduct proper investigations of corruption. As of Tuesday, however, he has withdrawn from the Senate race.
All this leaves us wondering: Why did Biden invite Duterte at all to a “Democracy Summit” where, as expected, the Great Communicator told his audience the diametrical opposite of the truth? Did he contribute at all to “a more democratic, equitable, inclusive and sustainable world?” You be the judge.