After a year, an opposition bewildered and discredited

MANILA — As the countdown to the first year of the Duterte administration commences, not a few have begun doing either one of two things: Supporters counting the gains obtained, and detractors nitpicking whatever mistakes they could define.

Without a doubt, Duterte’s supporters will keep promoting the following changes and developments: Drug lords retreating, crime abating, Growth continuing, Tourists coming, FDIs increasing. As far as they are concerns, all these changes cast away the fear that this country will become another Venezuela.

As the stock market exceeded the 8,000 volume, and our foreign exchange rates remain stable, the doomsday speculators have had to lick their wounded pride.

Sadly, the opposition is unable to make its hay on whatever misfortunes it pretends to find in Duterte. Their diatribes are rehashed tidbits of crassly put together stories strong on impression and dripping with vitriol but bereft of fact – all sounding like a badly written essay by an intern only they seem to appreciate and understand.

Even the alleged 8,000 drug kills they say Duterte committed is based on a set of assumptions. These are puffed up numbers gone just to prove a point only they seem to get. Sad.

Worse, its champions are among the country’s most discredited loudmouth politicians with possible criminal records hidden under their suits and scarves.

The damage they try to inflict is apparent even against the 10 point socio-economic program, questioning its every turn without understanding its points, and only because It departs from the policies of its predecessor makes it is a slap to them.

Some quarters among them even insinuate that the entire Maute affair in Marawi was not only a non-rebellion despite clear evidence, but that it was hatched by Malacanang as a conspiracy to declare Martial Law. Sounds like another conspiracy – filled joke.

Every time they try to second guess, poke fun, pour vitriol and otherwise try to discredit government for its fight against this elements, they place themselves on the side of these devils. Disgusting.

The results of their activities and hatred have clearly backfired: an impeachment attempt rejected amid the public humiliation of its proponent in Congress, The dwindling mass actions they mounted on the EDSA anniversary, and the near dressing down of petitioners against martial law at the Supreme Court all point to a scattered bunch.

The result: The president remains hugely popular in trust and approval ratings. Their fixation and near personal hatred of the president is pathological, leading them to be consumed by their anger to fumble and fall on their faces.

As a whole, the opposition and their elite cohorts have succeeded in putting themselves in the worst moral compromise of all – unwitting allies of drug lords, criminal syndicates and ISIS.

With global realities leaning towards protected economies, exportable rebellions and terrorism, the government has begun to play it smart by developing local capacity and using public spending to pump prime an economy seeking a stronger push to cut poverty. This in turn, will create new markets, and a demand for local produce. As this rolls further, more jobs and opportunities are created.

Given all these challenges, the behavior of the opposition leaves so much to be desired. We remain hopeful for educated and decent-opposition. We need not wonder why they have become so unpopular.