PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday was all praises to former President Fidel Ramos for his “good” opinion piece published in a national daily.
Duterte, who graced the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Asian Development Bank in Mandaluyong City, greeted Ramos by patting him on the back.
“President Fidel V. Ramos, I always read your column and sometimes, it’s good. Sometimes, it’s good, it’s all good,” Duterte said in a prepared speech, acknowledging the presence of Ramos.
At the sidelines of the event, Ramos lauded Duterte for avoiding resorting to his usual extemporaneous speeches, which consist of series of tirades against his critics.
Ramos was elated that Duterte did not utter “foul language” during the event.
“I congratulate him for saying the right things and for sticking to the script. That’s the way it should be – no foul language,” the former President told reporters.
Asked what advice he could give to Duterte, Ramos said, “Please read my column.”
Ramos is one of the prominent political figures who convinced Duterte to run for President in the May 9, 2016 elections. He, however, has become critical of Duterte administration’s programs and policies.
Ramos was appointed as the special envoy of the Philippines to settle the dispute on the South China Sea with Chinese officials but had tendered his resignation in November last year since his role “had already been taken over” when Duterte visited China.
In his recent opinion piece, Ramos criticized the current administration for its “huge disappointment and letdown” in its performance.
He also slammed Duterte for “unwittingly shooting himself in the mouth, and also all of us, 101.5 million Filipinos.” (VoxPop Philippines)
