Rodrigo Roa Duterte KGCR, also known as Digong, Rody,

and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and

politician who served as the 16th president of the
Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson of
PDP–Laban, the ruling political party in the Philippines
during his presidency. Duterte is the first president of the
Philippines to be from Mindanao, and is the oldest person
to assume office, beginning his term at age 71.

Among Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s major achievements, seven stand out. On these achievements alone, he can claim to have
been a good president.

1. Tax reform, under Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, which made the Philippines one of the fastest-growing
economies in Asia.
2. Build, Build, Build, under Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar who raised
infrastructure spending to an average of 5.14 percent of
GDP, from Fidel Ramos 1.7 percent; Joseph Estrada 1.62
percent; Gloria Arroyo 1.5 percent; and Benigno Aquino
III 2.7 percent. Duterte poured more money into
infrastructure — over P6 trillion in six years — than any
president before him, In the last five years alone, the
DPWH under Villar built 145,000 classrooms, 2,000
school buildings, 5,555 bridges, and 26,500 kms. Of
roads, access roads, expressways, and tollways.
3. Transportation modernization under Department of Transportation Secretary Art Tugade who made mass
transportation safe, reliable, and available. Tugade increased RoRo shipping routes from 120 (servicing 223 ships
and 2.8 million vehicles) in 2016 to 181 by 2020. He targets additional 41 to service 325 ships and 4.8 million
vehicles. Art completed more than 200 airport projects, 400 seaports, and 21 new lighthouses to reach 564
lighthouses. New airport terminals were built for Mactan, Clark, Ormoc, and Kalibo. Bicol Airport was restarted
after an 11-year delay. Night-rated airports increased from 14 in 2016 to 20 by June 2021. NAIA improved from
being one of the worst airports in the world to being the most improved by 2018. The laglag-bala racket, where
NAIA passengers were suddenly found to have bullets in their luggage (an excuse for huge extortion) stopped
completely. Art has started building the impossible–a subway on EDSA
4. Free college education for all with 1.6 million enjoying it by 2020, up 36 percent from 2019. According to
Duterte, “we expanded the access of Filipinos to quality and equitable tertiary education through RA no. 10931
or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which I signed on August 3, 2017.” This law provides
various financial assistance and scholarships to student beneficiaries in state universities and colleges and local
universities and colleges (SUCs and LUCs). This law, among others, institutionalized the Free Higher Education
(FHE), Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), Student Loan Program, and Free Technical and Vocational Education and
Training (TVET).
 5. An independent foreign policy. Manila pivoted to Beijing without losing Washington’s friendship and support.
The US was forced to return the Balangiga bells of Samar which were seized by the US Army as war trophy after
the locals wiped out an entire infantry regiment of 48 men and wounded 78 other American soldiers. The
Philippines had demanded the return of the bells which were used to signal the Filipino rebels to attack the US
GIs.
6. Duterte reduced red tape for the masses and made oligarchs toe the line. Of course, under Duterte, crime went
down but extrajudicial killings became rampant. Now, the President faces the grim prospect of being tried
before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity. Our Supreme Court has told
Duterte to cooperate with the ICC.
7. Universal health care. Insurance coverage expanded from 90
percent of the population to 100 percent. COVID-19 proved too
complex to contain, despite 9,000 new treatment facilities with
140,000-bed capacity and 36 million in vaccine arrivals. A
Philippine Center for Disease Control is planned and a Virology
Institute is under construction. “Thanks to Congress and our
revenue generating agencies, our tax reforms sustained our
economic growth from the third quarter of 2016 to the fourth
quarter of 2019, which made the Philippines one of the fastest
growing economies in Asia, until the pandemic scourge,” Duterte
said in his SONA on July 26, 2021.

For me, the best president to date is Duterte. Given his accomplishments, which benefit regular Filipinos, one could wish
he had another six years in him. Although I still felt lacking in terms of getting rid of the remaining drug users and
criminals roaming the streets. However, I’m happy that so many criminals are put to death. The triumphs of President
Rodrigo Duterte are inscribed in the voids of our people’s eternally devoted hearts.