Duterte remains popular among Filipinos – analyst
MANILA — On his second year in power, President Rodrigo Duterte remains highly popular among Filipinos, a political analyst said yesterday.
Filipinos continue to have a "largely positive" perception of the firebrand leader despite criticism from different sectors, political analyst Ramon Casiple said.
Casiple attributed Duterte's popularity to his administration's efforts to boost the economy, noting that he would rate the president's performance on his second year a 7 out of 10.
"It's largely positive, in two counts 'yan – economy. Our GDP continues to grow and there is inclusive growth with the decrease in unemployment, which means there is an attempt to spread wealth," Casiple told ABS- CBN News in an interview.
The economy grew 6.8 percent in the first 3 months of the year, meeting analysts' expectations. Unemployment in April meanwhile declined to 5.5 percent from 5.7 percent.
In terms of peace and order, Casiple said he expects Duterte's crackdown on illegal drugs to continue until the end of his term in 2022. "You would expect na tuloy-tuloy 'yan (it will continue) 'til 2022," he said.
Casiple, however, noted that Duterte needs to start working on clearly defining the "change" that he wants.
"You cannot discern a strategic frame for his policy. You can define one policy in a certain area or context but then where is all of this headed? Defining the change that he wants is still a problem," he added.