Peace and order

It was my first time to see and listen to Rody Duterte talk live about his candidacy and I was curious if he can do more than a media sound bite. Duterte spoke for more than half an hour without interruption during the Go Negosyo forum last week and he wasn’t bad at all.

I was skeptical about his ability to go beyond his favorite topic of peace and order but he seems to understand economic and other issues. He also made a convincing explanation why everything starts from peace and order.

The last presidential candidate who emphasized peace and order was Alfredo Lim. That’s understandable because he was a police general who rose from the ranks. The problem with Lim is that he found it difficult to navigate other issues.

Duterte was able to redeem himself quite well when asked about taxation and ASEAN economic integration. He also gave a fresh analysis of the Bangsa Moro problem based on its historical roots.

The Davao mayor hinges his presidential campaign on his over 20 years experience as a local official and as a lawyer. He talked extensively about the pillars of our justice system and lamented how government has oppressed the ordinary citizens, something that angers him a lot.

From the policeman, to the prosecutors to the judges, many have abused their authority and oppressed the common people, he declared. Describing himself as a lifetime leftist, Duterte sees this failure of the judicial system in class conflict terms.

Duterte said he has seen how the powerful are able to use the lowly paid police officers, prosecutors and judges to oppress the ordinary citizen. Low wages is only partly to blame.

Duterte said nothing makes his blood boil more than an abusive police officer. He recalled one such policeman who held up a gasoline station and kept the owner hostage. The mayor said he was not sad to see that policeman take his leave from this world, wink wink.

He sees the worsening crime situation, particularly drug abuse, as the major thing wrong with the country today. He sees the drug problem at the root of our people’s alienation from a government that is unable to deal with it more forcefully. 

Because the peace and order problem makes our people feel very insecure, we are unable to take care of other things like the economy. He pooh poohs the statistics government love to point out to show a robust economy. He said he would only believe the economy is doing well if he sees evidence on the ground… when people no longer have to go hungry.

Duterte promises to make decisive moves in the first weeks of his presidency to deal with peace and order issues. He said that in six months or less, people would feel a greater sense of personal security.

Indeed, Duterte suggested that the lukewarm attitude of foreign direct investors is due to our iffy peace and order situation. What foreign (or local) investor will want to risk good money in a country where he doesn’t feel safe?

Asked why he speaks the way he does and why he always picks a fight with Mar Roxas, Duterte said it is his way of reaching out to as wide an audience as possible. He said he doesn’t have the kind of campaign funds his opponents have, so he must get the attention of the masa the best way he knows how.

That’s why he speaks the masa’s language and talk about the masa’s concerns about personal security. In a way, he is right. During the time I was responsible for the output of ABS-CBN News, I constantly got criticism of the violent and ugly image we project of the country through our crime stories in TV Patrol.

I explained we do not enjoy highlighting crime stories, but that is what the masa is interested in. The masa wants to know the what, when and where of crime stories as a kind of self defense.

Unlike those of us in gated communities, the folks comprising the masa are exposed to crime 24/7 in their homes or while commuting in buses or jeepneys. Knowing the latest modus operandi of criminals enables them to take precautions.

Also, our reports on TV Patrol put pressure on police and other authorities to take action. Having us on the side of the masa is the only way a poor person can hope to get justice.  

By making peace and order his main plank, Duterte is voicing out a major masa concern. This is also something he has experience in dealing with as city mayor. Fighting criminals is something he is so fired up about and he is sure he can make a clear difference.

Duterte gave a glimpse of how a President Duterte will be different from the current Mayor Duterte. He hinted he would not be impulsive on other issues a president must deal with.

Duterte promised to consult with experts on more complex issues like taxation and foreign affairs. Best of all, he is pragmatic, out of his problem-solving experience as mayor. He won’t study issues to death and not decide.

In fact, before the Go Negosyo Forum, he met with former prime minister Cesar Virata to consult on finance issues. He took Virata’s advice not to promise too much or anything on taxes, even as Duterte confessed he wants to exempt low income people from any income tax.

Duterte advised entrepreneurs to make themselves competitive. He dismissed protectionism as a viable strategy because as he puts it, we are now a global market. Competitiveness is key to success, he emphasized.

Duterte said he is open to suggestions of easing economic restrictions on investments even if he is not convinced foreigners should be allowed to own land. He said a lease of as long as 80 years should be more than enough for a foreign investor.

On agriculture, Duterte wants to see more visible results given the large budget allocated for it. He plans to give agriculture top attention because, as he puts it, over 70 percent of our people depend on it and are dirt poor.

Duterte promises to fight corruption, a promise he can credibly carry out because unlike the other mayor running for president, his name had not been tainted, so far, by corruption. His simple lifestyle seems proof enough.

Over all, Duterte gave me the impression there is more to Duterte than his coarse language. It is unfortunate the burgis and the hacienderos who rule imperial Manila tend to look down on this probinsyano as someone unworthy of Malacañang. 

Interestingly, Metro Manilans are in revolt against the ruling elite, and according to a Pulse Asia survey I saw over the weekend, Duterte is Metro Manilans’ top choice for president at 34 percent. 

He declared his womanizing days are over as he is now over 70 years old. The public perception to the contrary, he suggested, is more aspiration than reality for men his age.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco.