High expectations from the Duterte presidency

Rodrigo Roa Duterte is now poised to become the 16th president of our country – with a large portion of the almost 16 million votes he received coming from millennials, the middle class, and even overseas Filipino workers who believed in his promise of change, and were reassured by his vow to eradicate criminality and make the Philippines a safer and better place for Filipinos.

No doubt, every Filipino wants a leader who can make a real difference in their lives, and the fact that the man who is about to become the most powerful person in the country comes from the south, and is not a mainstream politician, validates what Manny Pangilinan has concluded: The outcome of the elections is an “in your face” message to everyone in the establishment – primarily those with a cacique mentality, lording it over in the corridors of power and are part of the country’s elite – that they can no longer be oblivious to the plight of the working class and the people down below the economic and social ladder.

Clearly, this is a wakeup call that should tell us that those in the fringes of society are tired of waiting for meaningful change to come, having waited for far too long because three decades after the EDSA People Power revolution, they truly believe that nothing has really changed.

Duterte was like a bulldozer that rolled over all the obstacles that his critics and rivals threw along his path. Despite the negative campaign picturing him as a foulmouthed dictator – the support for Duterte only grew stronger, with people taking stock of the mayor’s record as an effective administrator of a southern city touted as the most peaceful in the country.

The mayor’s phenomenal rise to power came about because he captured the imagination of a large number of Filipinos, especially young professionals who utilized information technology to grow their ranks and “crowd source” whenever the mayor was scheduled to speak, with word about his next sortie spreading like wildfire primarily through Twitter and Facebook.

The Duterte phenomenon hit the Filipino consciousness like an avalanche, especially during the latter part of March and April when it became apparent that nothing could stop his bandwagon. The more controversies thrown his way, the more his base of supporters would grow. The brickbats simply slid off his back – prompting some to call him “the Teflon candidate.” Those who did not vote for “DU30” can say whatever they want to say but the close to 16 million voters who chose him is tantamount to a landslide win because of the wide margin he posted over rivals. In fact, Duterte’s votes already surpassed the 15.2 million obtained by outgoing president Noynoy Aquino in 2010 and the 10.7 million votes for Joseph Estrada in 1998.

Here is a man who has obviously captured the people’s hearts because they see him as “one of them,” with his seemingly rugged ways and unrefined language that may turn off the sophisticated but is appreciated by ordinary folk as “straight talk.” The tough veneer presented by Duterte took a different note when people saw the video of the mayor visiting the tomb of his parents in the wee hours of the morning and then weeping, asking for his mother’s help because he was “just a nobody.”

This was a new facet that humanized him and showed the close relationship he had with his mother. He saw her as his guiding light, praying and asking for her help because he has come to realize the enormity of the responsibility thrust upon his shoulder: The lives and future of over 100 million Filipinos are now in his hands.

People have great expectations from the Davao City Mayor – like his promise to get rid of drugs and criminality in the first six months of his tenure. Realistically though, we know it will take more than six months to do what the mayor promised, and the time table was most likely a hyperbole as can be the case during elections. However, for sure, people will give him enough slack to fulfill his promise. Traditionally, there is always a one year honeymoon period for the new president. In fact, we were told by some people close to him that the mayor is prepared to change his lifestyle to cope with the demands of the office.

But real change can only happen if every single person in this country is prepared to support the new president. The first in line are obviously the people around him because, as we told Duterte’s close allies, the country is now in their hands. We can take comfort in the fact that based on experiences of people who know the mayor well, he is going to take charge and choose the right kind of people to help him.

Some of the names that have been floated around as prospective members of his official family include Gilbert Teodoro, Tommy Alcantara, Art Tugade, Jess Dureza and Sonny Dominguez who is one of Duterte’s closest advisers and in the forefront of the transition team. These names being mentioned are good people and dependable individuals, and surely if there is any mistake along the way, they will be the first to point this out to the new president. Like any new administration, the people he chooses will define his presidency.

But in the final analysis, the incoming president will need the support of every Filipino. Everyone must now rally behind him because when all is said and done, the success of President Rodrigo Duterte will also be the success of the country and ultimately, our success.

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