The first year of ‘change’
lost valiant men and women in uniform, and innocent civilians, trapped in this senseless attacks by the terrorists. The president’s decision to place the entire Mindanao under Martial Law to finally finish off this terrorist group is a stern warning to those who will put our territorial integrity and the lives of our people in peril. The surge in the president’s approval rating only serves to validate the people’s acknowledgment that this is the best thing that Duterte has done at this time. In doing so, he also makes sure to boost the morale of the AFP and the PNP. He showers our brave men and women the support that they need from their commander-in-chief. Whenever possible, he stops by hospitals where our wounded soldiers are recovering and gives salute to our fallen heroes and their families whenever he visits their wake. He acts like a father to his soldiers.
There are a lot more that this administration has accomplished in so little time. The nationwide smoking ban which became effective yesterday surely is a welcome executive order of the president, particularly to the non-smoking public. His help for OFWs is also unprecedented. He was able to bring home hundreds of stranded OFWs in the Middle East, and they are now exempt from paying travel taxes. Add to this the one-stop service center for OFWs shortening their time to process their documents. These laws catering to the common people are what endear the president to the people.
Duterte is the change that the Filipinos want in this tiring game of traditional politics in the country. He is the epitome, the nemesis of the corrupt, coward and calloused government official. He inspires hope for the common and downtrodden Filipinos. You might disagree with me on this, but seriously at this time, numbers don’t lie — that is, the voice of the people don’t lie. And while he has the overwhelming support of the people in this cause to change the image of public service, it is our foremost hope that he would do more, and do better. Not that he is not working hard. In fact, this man works harder than any other president we have had in recent memory. Despite his age, he has done so much and more in such a short time.
His first year is far from perfect, though. We still have the persisting MRT problems and all of us are hoping for real internal cleansing inside the PNP. There still are a lot of corrupt government officials at the moment. Given those, he deserves our gratitude for he has surely made true of the promises. He is no superman. Yet, we will all wait in anticipation of the many good changes that are still yet to come.
When he visited ground zero, the war zone that is sadly Marawi City as of now, we could just sense how emotional he was, and how it almost got the better of him. Hearing him say, “Lahat tayo nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno — on different levels with different roles, but we are just the same. We are here to die for our country,” cuts deep in the souls of patriotic Filipinos. Words like these make us all the more in awe at the simplicity and the sincerity of this man. He is very unassuming, unpretentious, and very real that people get drawn to his honesty as a human being and as a public servant.
In all these, how I wish to see the president refrain from making rape jokes and throwing up expletives. Though this is a personal wish, it would somehow soften the heart of those indecisive of him, so they can see the work that he is doing beyond the foul words he say. Yet, with or without the jokes and the expletives, Duterte is unquestionably doing the work he has promised and has committed himself to do.