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OPINION
// THE LASALLIAN RHEIMS
The Duterte Legacy: Change has come ALAPAAP // Andrew Dela Plana
"C
hange is coming." One can remember that this is the tagline used by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during the 2016 presidential elections. It promised change for the better, and one could wonder, as his administration draws to a close, if his promised change really has come. During the 2016 campaign season, there were at least three promises that were highlighted as his: to end corruption in three to six months; to end the uncontrollable use of illegal drugs in the country via a drug war; and to protect the Philippines from the Chinese vessels that are, still even now, occupying the West Philippine Sea, even going as far as to say that he himself would jetski towards the disputed territory and place the Philippine flag to assert the country’s rights. None of these were kept, however, because they were nearly impossible to accomplish in a whole administration without proper laws and resources, let alone in six months. Even Duterte admitted last April 28 that these were merely boasts and campaign promises, which are usually left as such. However, while these three promises were broken and left the Filipinos who voted for him confounded, it is safe to say that this administration has produced several positive impacts on our country. The Duterte administration remarkably made our Mindanao brothers’ and sisters’ lives better with the Bangsamoro Organic Law, a promise that was surprisingly kept and was indeed beneficial for those affected by it. Because of this, decades of conflict have now come to an end, giving our Filipino Muslim brothers and sisters a home among the dominant Roman Catholic Filipinos. Another somewhat successful program for the administration is the Build, Build, Build Program, which aimed to slingshot the Philippines into a "Golden Age of Infrastructure." This program was given a total of 8.4 trillion pesos to fix the "Achilles’
heel" of the Philippines—which is the lack of infrastructure. However, it only aimed to fix the supposed looks and glamour of the country, as most of the roads and structures are car-centric, posing numerous environmental threats and displacing hundreds of people. While infrastructure and roads are an integral part of a country’s tourism, their accessibility must still be taken into consideration, as most of these are indeed car-centric and are not compromising for the displaced Filipinos. Issues of corruption also popped up throughout the years–showing hints of corruption with 15–35 percent of the program going into "other costs of doing business." It is important to remember that while infrastructure and rehabilitation are indeed important and promote progress, proper distribution and prioritization are more important in times of calamity, like being in a pandemic. For example, the controversial dolomite beach was done in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic while still lacking in study. It has also raised concerns from numerous activists and environmentalists. The administration, however, reasoned out that the people’s mental health is also of their utmost care, referring to the "aesthetic" of the dolomite sand that reflects that of white sand beaches. Additionally, during the Duterte administration, cases of red-tagging and threats to press freedom have been the seeming "main event" of this administration because of the boasted drug war. The Duterte administration has been particularly proud of the war on drugs despite its being the cause of the thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings in the country. 27,000 to 30,000 individuals have been killed under the Duterte administration, and 22 journalists are among them—most of whom are critics of the Duterte administration. The drug problem in the Philippines will never be solved with the use of violence as it is a public health issue. Thousands of critics have been silenced and/or wrongly jailed, including the likes of Senator Leila De Lima and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa. The shut-
down of the ABS-CBN network has also gained a lot of flak because of the thousands of Filipino workers displaced during the pandemic and the shutdown of a media giant that has been accessible. It is also worth noting that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said that the network has been paying its taxes properly. While marred by corruption, numerous extra-judicial killings, and a whopping debt that amounts to P12.09 trillion, President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration still garnered huge support due to its supporters, more commonly known as the "Diehard Duterte Supporters." While sexist remarks and slurs are the substance of most of his late-night talks, he is still idolized and looked upon as a role model by many. Well, a good explanation for this is because of his "macho" aggressive image, which older Filipinos typically like. These offensive remarks are often packaged as "harmless" jokes, and any critic who is found ranting on social media will often be attacked by these supporters. There were also vloggers who were notorious for spreading and propagating fake news, such as that of Banat By or Mocha Uson. A seeming perspective of most Filipinos is that not supporting a country’s president is equivalent to not loving the country, which is also a reason why a lot of Filipinos label their fellow countrymen as "communists" and "terrorists" for being vocal against the government. The Duterte Administration may be viewed as the golden age of infrastructure for many Filipinos or the most corrupt government in the Philippines, depending on their biases and own perspectives. However, one thing remains true: change has indeed come. The sad thing is, it looks like it changed for the worse—and many still don’t believe it. As the administration draws to an end, it now looks as if the need for a better and more qualified leader is at hand. [R]
