Duterte: A truly decisive and uncompromising president

Finally, we have a head of state and head of government who does not only talk but decides and implements his decisions with firmness and determination. After so many decades we have a chief executive who orders things to be done and puts his head on the block to be judged and punished by the people if he commits a grave offense that may constitute betrayal of national interest. At long last, we have a president who declares war against drug lords, orders the closure of an entire tourism island, fires his own fraternity brothers and fellow Davaoeños who misbehave in public office, and a commander-in-chief who challenges the terrorists and the rebels to come get him.

Only President Rodrigo Duterte dared to close Boracay and thereafter assumed full control and responsibility for the clean, sanitary, orderly, and peaceful operations. The closure of Boracay has never been thought of by former presidents. Only Duterte cares enough and is determined enough to discipline hotel and resort owners who had been desecrating the environment in our jewel tourism destination. That Boracay experience may also be done in Panglao, Bohol, Manila Bay, Batangas, Palawan, and Camsur. It should also be done in Badian, Moalboal, Mactan, and northern Cebu.

The war against drugs is also unprecedented. After President Marcos ordered the execution of Lim Seng in Luneta, the drug problem was almost solved. But the Cory Administration allowed the drug syndicates to progress and proliferate. FVR was too focused on selling Fort Bonifacio, the Villamor Air Base, and privatizing the water distribution system he forgot all about drugs. Erap was too busy with other trivial and marginal activities that he didn’t realize the many drug syndicates even in his small city of San Juan. GMA ruled the nation for no less than 10 years but never showed any initiative against the drug menace. PNoy was totally clueless or congenitally inept, that his administration had no concrete anti-drug campaign at all. Only President Rody knows and only he is truly dedicated to fight this social malady.

All the previous presidents acted as if the Philippines is still a colony of the US. They never voted against the official position of the US in all UN conventions and global deliberations. They allowedAmericans parity rights and were very liberal with the entry of US goods and US companies operating in our country. While the US treats our Filipino tourists with contempt, condescension, or suspicion, the Philippine presidents always bowed to the American ways of looking down at us. Not President Duterte. He stood up to the pontification of President Barrack Obama and never yielded to the bullying tactics of Donald Trump. He befriended China and distanced the Philippines from the US orbit of influence. This is unprecedented and only President Duterte has ever crossed the diplomatic Rubicon.

There is no wonder then that President Duterte ended 2018 with a trust and approval rating of 81%. The people who judged him may be crazy and silly at times. But they are not stupid. They know that President Duterte is what the country needs today to discipline the Filipinos and to show the world powers like the US that the Philippines deserves respect.