Regardless of who is elected president in May, we look forward to some changes in the way things are done when President Duterte leaves office on June 30.
For all the administration’s achievements, there are aspects of its governance we will not miss. These include:
An acrimonious relationship with the press. From the start, the President has had an antagonistic attitude toward the media—cavalierly dismissing critical reports about him as “fake news,” shuttering the country’s biggest broadcast network because he didn’t like the way it had treated him, and using government resources to persecute news organizations that speak truth to power. The next administration—even if it vows to continue pursuing the President’s agenda—would do well to put an end to this acrimony and acknowledge that a free press has a crucial role to play in society that does not always involve praising those in power. The press needs no special favors; it just needs to be treated professionally and fairly.
Carelessness with facts. On many occasions, this administration has been loose with the facts, accusing its critics of being subversives or terrorists without offering a shred of proof to support its charges. We need only recall the ridiculous “matrix” that the Palace in 2019 insisted showed a network of anti-government personalities who were plotting to overthrow the government. The list included opposition politicians, lawyers, journalists, and even clergymen and one future Olympic Gold athlete—and it was completely false.
Perhaps no other agency of this administration exhibits an utter disrespect for the truth than its anti-communist task force, that regularly smears its targets as communists and terrorists, with again no factual or evidentiary basis. People the likes of its spokesperson, Lorraine Badoy, who paints with a broad, indiscriminate red brush, will surely not be missed.
The next administration needs to dial down the anti-communist rhetoric, especially when it is based on lies, and end the waste of resources that is the anti-communist task force.
The use of government positions to reward political allies. The President has not been shy about saying he appointed people to their offices to repay a debt of honor to them for services rendered during the election campaign. It is this kind of thinking that gave us the biggest corruption scandal in recent memory involving the purchase of billions of pesos of pandemic supplies through a favored—but unqualified—company.
The next administration needs to bring back meritocracy. Don’t appoint people because you owe them a favor; appoint them because they are the best qualified for the job.
Will getting rid of these practices be too much to ask of the incoming administration? For all our sakes, we hope not.