THREE of the Cebuano community’s leaders gave President Rodrigo Duterte higher grades than he gave himself for his first 100 days in office.
But while all three commended him for a tough campaign against illegal drugs, two also urged him to be more careful about what he says, in order to avoid “unnecessary aggravation” in the international community.
“According to him (Duterte), he rates himself at 6. I rate him more than that,” said Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma. He gave the President a 7 on a scale of 10.
Regional Director Noli Taliño of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 said in a separate interview that he would give Duterte a grade of 9.
“Hindi naman perfect. Kahit ano namang administration, hindi perfect (It’s not perfect. Every administration is not perfect),” said Taliño, who described the first 100 days as “very successful.”
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña gave Duterte an 80 percent score and said that the unwavering effort against illegal drugs is his biggest accomplishment so far.
Speaking
“I’ve said that before, it’s the prisons that are the command and control center of the drug trade. They’re not dismantled, but at least their setback is really huge,” Osmeña said.
As promised, Duterte pursued an aggressive and bloody campaign against illegal drugs in the first 100 days of his administration. But he has already asked for an extension, saying he could not wipe out the problem in the first 6 months of his six-year term.
An estimated 3,000 persons have died since the anti-drug campaign began, with about half of them killed in police operations. The rest died in what the police now calls “deaths under investigation.”
In an interview, Palma said that Duterte has shown sincere effort, especially in the anti-drug campaign, the end of contractualization for workers and a pro-environment stance.
But the archbishop also said that Duterte must do away with his “not-so diplomatic” way of speaking.
“On a personal note, no doubt that he is serious in curbing abuses, making government work, and caring for workers. But we should not take for granted the way he speaks. I hope that he fine-tunes it,” Palma added.
Satisfaction
Duterte has lashed out at the United States and the European Union for allegedly meddling in domestic affairs, after statements calling for respect for human rights and an investigation of the deaths caused by the war on drugs.
In a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), Duterte obtained a “very good” 64 net satisfaction rating.
The survey results showed that 76 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with Duterte’s performance, 11 percent are dissatisfied, and 13 percent undecided.
Duterte’s rating is higher than the 60 net rating of President Benigno Aquino III in the survey taken during the same point in his administration. Of all the presidents after martial law, only President Fidel Ramos had a higher rating than Duterte (66) at this point in his administration, which lasted from 1992 to 1998.
In a separate interview, Taliño said that the crime rate in Region 7 has dropped by 26 percent.
“Sa ating pag-iikot dito sa Region 7, sabi naman ng mga tao na satisfied sila sa ating performance in our campaign in illegal drugs (As we asked around here in Region 7, people said they were satisfied with our performance in our campaign against illegal drugs),” Taliño added.
Drug links
So far, at least 120 suspected drug pushers were killed in police operations in Central Visayas.
Two officers—SPO2 Renante Nioda from the Special Weapons and Tactics and PO2 Arnold Cabildo from the Cebu City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group—are facing an investigation before the Office of the Ombudsman for the death of one suspected pusher.
At least 200 persons with suspected drug links have also been killed, in what the police call “deaths under investigation.”
More than 74,000 have surrendered in Central Visayas in the first 100 days of the Duterte presidency.
Despite liking Sen. Grace Poe and supporting Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas during the elections last May, Mayor Osmeña said that since the campaign period, he has been vocal about Duterte being the number one presidential candidate in terms of peace and order.
“There’s nobody like him. There’s no one crazy enough and willing to do it. He makes bunal gyud (he strikes) because that’s the only language these drug lords understand,” he said.
‘Unnecessary’
Last July, the mayor expressed disappointment over the relief of Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr. as head of the Police Regional Office 7 and Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos Jr. as Cebu City Police Office director.
He said that the two police officers were doing a good job in the war against drugs, as shown by the arrest of nine of the 10 most wanted drug personalities in the region.
Osmeña said that President Duterte himself told him that he that the issuance of the relief orders resulted from misinformation.
However, Osmeña said he was also “very disturbed about his comments that are creating unnecessary aggravation in the international community.”
As for the end of labor contractualization, the Cebu City mayor said it might be more productive to create export processing zones (EPZs) where equal opportunity to be employed is emphasized.
“An EPZ with no labor laws would mean investors will come in. The country is currently not responsive to the needs of the community and foreign investors. We do not have the feedback mechanism. But it’s easy to say what to do, and difficult to actually do it,” the mayor said. “As a new administration, there should be strong middle management.”
