Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) — As President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration turns a year old, members of the House of Representatives weigh in to assess how the President fared.
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez gave the President a barely passing rate of 6 out of 10, as Duterte was able to stem the spread of illegal drugs in the country — but big drug lords remained scot-free.
“Dito sa susunod na taon (In the following year), I hope yung kanyang mga operatives can identify where they are coming from and who are the people involved,” Suarez said.
He added some government agencies still failed to deliver basic services to help address the problems of poverty, hunger and unemployment.
For independent minority member Ifugao representative Teddy Baguilat, Duterte only gets a 4.
In a statement, Baguilat said the Duterte administration’s most glaring misstep was what he described as the ill-conceived and bloody war on drugs that has taken thousands of innocent lives and made a mockery of the justice system.
“One year of course is not enough to assess an administration’s achievement versus promises. But on the basis of his mantra that change is coming, the change has not been encouraging,” Baguilat said.
He then praised Duterte’s strengthening of diplomatic ties with countries such as China and Russia, but said it was at the expense of the country’s relationship with the United States and the European Union.
For another opposition member, Albay representative Edcel Lagman, the President’s trust and popularity rating has started to erode as people don’t see the fulfillment of his campaign promises and post-electon agenda.
Lagman said these included solutions to the drug menace, the traffic mess, labor contractualization, as well as the forging of peace agreements with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front and Muslim separatists, the pursuit of an independent foreign policy, and easing of poverty.
He then took a swipe at Duterte’s diplomatic ties with China in relation to the maritime row in the South China Sea.
“President Duterte’s alliance with China is particularly worrisome. He was pathetic when he admitted helplessness when Chinese President Xi Jinping threatened to go to war if the Philippines would enforce its sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea,” Lagman said.
Lagman then added while the economic growth rate remained at a positive level, poor Filipino families remained helpless, saying “no administration can claim success if mass poverty persists or even aggravates.”
However, President Duterte’s allies in Congress believe otherwise.
House Justice Committee Chairman Rey Umali said Duterte did well in his anti-criminality, anti-drugs, and anti-corruption campaigns.
“Nandoon iyong intensity, nandoon iyong decisiveness, nandoon iyong boldness of his action, and unwavering iyong kanyang pursuit of his priority agenda,” Umali said.
[Translation: The intensity was there, the decisiveness was there, the boldness in his action was there, and his pursuit of his priority agenda is unwavering.]
Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Rodel Batocabe then gave the President a score of 8.7 because he believed Duterte considerably improved the peace and order situation in towns and cities.
He added the Duterte administration was continuing the economic reforms of its predecessors, thus “making the Philippines a rising economic star.”
