A president for the common man
PRESIDENT-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s “common man” image has carried him far with the majority of voters who are neither rich nor entitled. And to humanize him further, the obliging press front-paged pictures of him weeping over his parents’ tomb.
Journalist Maria Ressa observed that a major appeal of Duterte is his “authenticity.” He is who he is, and what you see is what you get.
When Duterte announced years ago that he was a “crime buster” people believed him and his record as mayor of Davao backs that up. Voters who are angry and frustrated because they feel that they are left out of most politicians’ thinking, flock to him. He is an antidote to traditional politicians.
Business leaders feel reassured that he is not going to interfere with them. Open markets will remain and entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be pursued in line with changes in the Constitution which will remove restrictions on foreign ownership. Computerization of the bureaucratic process will be promoted through a new Department of Information and Communication Technology. Taxes will be reviewed and adjusted to levels competitive with other Asian countries.
Duterte has promised to revive the mining industry. And in regards to health, he promises free services for all and a greater shift to primary out-patient health care services.
Duterte said that he would settle the Philippine-China row in the South China Sea with multilateral talks that would include allies – the United States, Japan, Australia, and the other claimant nations. He said that China should respect the 200nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and team up with the Philippines to jointly explore offshore oil and gas deposits. China responded by saying it hope to work with the new Philippine administration to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The new president will seek a national consensus for a revision of the Constitution to switch to a parliamentary model. On the home front, President Duterte plans to impose a 10 p.m. curfew on unescorted minors, and he expects to ban the sale of alcohol in public places between midnight and 8 a.m.
Duterte also told the press that he plans to ease restrictions on foreign ownership of companies across all industries. And he promised that spending on education would be raised and agricultural and rural development will be prioritized to spread wealth more evenly around the country.