Essay

Assessment of the Duterte Administration

Kyla Marie G. Ibarra

A7-1
Department of Political Science, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of
Technology
POS 117: Special Topics in The Philippine Government and Politics
Ms. Queenie Pearl Tomaro
March 26, 2021
 Assessment of The Duterte Administration

His no-nonsense persona as Davao City mayor stamped Rodrigo Roa

Duterte’s name into the minds of electors as one of the frontrunners for the 2016
presidential elections. Frequently described as blunt and profane, his long reign as
mayor in one of the biggest cities in Mindanao showcased his political savviness and
ability to target concerns of average citizens (Timbermann, 2019). Winning the 2016
election with a relatively wide lead, it can be reasoned that Duterte ran an exciting
and slick campaign. With his promise of a tough, unyielding hand on illegal drugs
and criminality and his overt disdain for the elites of imperial Manila, his message
and personality resonated in a huge population of individuals from different
socioeconomic classes, but mostly from the middle class. This turnout led Casiple
(2016) to depict this mass of votes for Duterte as “protest votes” – a conscious effort
by certain members of society to vote against the failed reformist agenda of post-
Marcos regimes. The administration of President Duterte, from its beginning, was
fueled by the people’s yearning for responsive and authentic leadership. The Duterte
Administration should then be assessed by its commitment to its goals, in the ways
by which state power and resources were used to achieve them, and most
importantly, whether the outcome of their efforts reflect the real change he promised
the Filipino people.
The Duterte administration has made considerable strides in passing
legislation that addresses some of the core demands of the country that have been
sidelined by previous presidents, such as free tertiary education, national healthcare
plans, ease of doing business, and despite diverging opinions on the sustainability of
the 4Ps, it has signed into law RA 11310 institutionalizing conditional cash transfers
thus reducing the risk of social assistance programs being politicized (Ramos, 2020).
In environmental policies, Duterte was able to push for the temporary closure of
Boracay and have successfully rehabilitated the island. Additionally, the brief
appointment of Sec. Gina Lopez as DENR secretary and her subsequent rigorous
fight against extractive and illegal mining operations delivered a strong message that
the Duterte administration placed primacy on the environment over economic
advantages (Bayod, 2018). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration has
managed to keep the economy and debt management stable (Mendoza & Jaminola,
2019). These national developments warrant acknowledgement, as social progress
one way or the other have benefitted the public and little progress is better than none
at all. However, it would be a disrespect to consider the type of governance we live
under today as the most the country deserves. The bare minimum must definitely not
be the standard we hold the highest public official to. Ramos (2020) characterizes
this push for social reforms as an attempt to garner legitimacy and ensure regime
stability. This comes in the influx of reasonable criticism hurled in the administration’s
direction, both locally and internationally. While the swift passage of policies may be
illustrative of Duterte’s great political will, it is also reflective of the absence of a
strong opposition that acts as a balancing force. This lack of pushback may be a
result of deficits in opposition parties, but the role Duterte played in intimidating
dissenting opinions into silence is equally important. The cases of former CJ Maria
Lourdes Sereno and Senator Leila de Lima, vocal critics of the administration, are
undeniably power plays that reinforces the image Duterte has set up for himself as a
strongman whose pronouncements and decisions must go unchallenged. The issues
that catapulted President Duterte to victory in 2016 became his biggest downfalls
during his presidency. As five years in, no substantial developments have been
made in those areas. By emphasizing the severity and urgency of the country’s drug
problem, the Duterte administration justified more than 20,000 lives lost to police and
extrajudicial operations. This violent war waged against small-time drug peddlers
without investing in rehabilitation programs and public health solutions to this crisis
spotlight Duterte’s singular and narrow worldview, that is to address everything as if
it were an issue of criminal justice thus, force is always the answer. This is
demonstrated in the war on drugs, on the efforts for peace and development in
Mindanao, and in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In these three situations,
countless lives have been lost yet the problems persist.
Running for presidency requires having a long-term vision. Winning the
position demands the realization of this vision. President Duterte had five years in
office, with a cabinet compliant to his instructions, a supermajority in Congress,
undue influence on the judiciary, and overwhelming public support since the
beginning of his term. Equipped with all this, the Duterte administration still has not
put an end to the drug problem, political elites continue to dominate and dictate the
national agenda, corrupt politicians and agencies continue to hamper development,
and Mindanao still endures in its yearning for genuine peace and development. The
lack of real and tangible advancements in the country, with all the unusual
characteristics this administration possessed, solidifies the ineffectiveness of
strongman politicians in effecting meaningful and lasting change.

REFERENCES

Bayod, R. (2006). The Future of the Environment and the Indigenous Peoples of the
Philippines under the Duterte Administration. Environment, Development and
Sustainability, 8(1).

Casiple, R. C. (2016). The Duterte presidency as a phenomenon. Contemporary

Southeast Asia: A Journal of International and Strategic Affairs, 38(2), 179-
184.

Mendoza, R. U., & Jaminola, L. M. (2019). President Rodrigo Duterte on Year 3.

ASOG Working Paper 19-010.

Ramos, C. G. (2020). Change without transformation: Social policy reforms in the

Philippines under Duterte. Development and change, 51(2), 485-505.

Timberman, D. G. (2019). Philippine politics under Duterte: A midterm assessment.

Paper, Carnegie Endowment for Peace Paper.