Business forum with Duterte
The Rigodon Ballroom of The Peninsula Manila in Makati City was packed with businessmen who all wanted to listen to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who was the guest speaker for last Wednesday’s 2016 Presidential Dialogues series arranged by the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines.
Despite Duterte’s late for the event, the country’s top businessmen — estimated at 500 and which included Jaime Augusto Zobel, Manny Pangilinan, Wilfred Uytengsu and many others — waited up for the mayor, whose colorful character and controversial statements have generated a lot of attention both here and abroad.
There was supposed to be a question-and-answer segment during the event but Mayor Duterte’s speech was about an hour-and-a-half long, which left no time for the Q & A. Known for being a crime buster, Duterte mostly talked about establishing peace and order and going after drug traffickers and criminals.
Of all the businessmen present, Manny Pangilinan got a special mention from the presidential candidate who described him as “a businessman with a heart.” Some, however, told me that they felt a little disappointed because they would have wanted to hear more about the presidential candidate’s economic agenda and platform. Nevertheless, some expressed appreciation for the mayor’s emphasis on providing a safe environment in the country.
Asked how he would compare Duterte with the other presidentiables, MBC chairman Ramon del Rosario (who was supposed to moderate the open forum along with MAP’s Perry Pe) observed that each of the presidentiables was different because each of them had different passions. Obviously, Duterte’s passion runs more along peace and order and “going after criminals his own way.” Del Rosario did admit, however, that the previous presentations by other candidates were focused more on economic and social programs and policies.
With only eight more days to go before the May 9 elections, everybody will be closely watching how the race for the presidency will turn out, and if Rodrigo Duterte’s bandwagon will continue to roll ahead to the finish line.
