A president close to the people

It has only been a month since the people elected President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the leader of the country, but in that short span of time alone, he has already shown his capability to be a trustworthy, honest, and capable president that the people can relate to and more importantly understand and support. A recent SWS survey of the president and vice president only goes to reinforce the fact that the people love him and trust him. His rating of 91 percent is the highest ever and this may only continue to rise in the months and years ahead.

Although there was a large portion of the voters who may not have cast their votes for him last May it is clear that everyone is now supporting him as best as they can and want only for him to succeed. After all, the success of President Duterte is the success of the Philippines. We all want a country that we can be proud of and one that makes all of us feel safe.

Granted there are issues that have to be tackled and addressed. A common concern is that the war against drugs is getting out of hand fast. There have been a lot of vigilante killings that are getting by with little to no proof at all that they are drug-related deaths. This is definitely something the president is going to have to look into before his war against crime starts producing even more crime than ever before. However, I think that if he can get this under control his intentions are definitely good. We all want to be able to feel safer in the country and a hard stance against drugs and rape is necessary to help minimize the crime that has been running rampant for years and to help get criminals off the streets for good.

On Monday, President Duterte gave his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) and it was very heartfelt and straight to the point. He kept things simple like he has always promised he would and despite the long running time of the speech, the language was uncluttered and free of unnecessary superfluous extras. He talked to the politicians, businessmen, and the people all on the same level and in a way that everyone could understand. I think this is particularly what endears him to the masses – he never talks above them, he talks to them. This helps them to understand him better and makes them feel like they are part of the conversation, which they most definitely are.

I think President Duterte wants to keep everything simpler. Just last week, he did away with ceremonial titles such as “Your Excellency” and “Your Honor” and has opted instead of be called President Duterte – very simple, very real. It’s an excellent maneuver, which once again brings him closer to the people. Even members of the Cabinet shall be addressed simply as “Secretary.”

This is not the first time the president has turned away from tradition. He made it clear when he was running that he was not into all of the pomp and circumstance involved in the job and the office. He chose to have his oath-taking in Malacañang instead of Rizal Park to avoid causing heavy traffic in Manila and he chooses not to take special flights in lieu of keeping to his economy seat on domestic airlines when he goes home to Davao.

In fact, even for the SONA, the president wanted to make sure things were kept simple. He ordered guests to wear business attire and nixed long gowns and ostentatious ensembles for the solemn event. This is something I know so many people supported. While it has been fun and exciting in the past to watch lawmakers and VIPs “walk the SONA red carpet” in their designer best, it also seemed wildly inappropriate to many to have our leaders in such a big display of formal fashion for what should be a simple and solemn occasion. After all, it is an important day for the country and for the people and should not be treated like a congressional fashion show. It’s easy to understand why the masses might feel bad when they see their leaders stroll down the carpet in a gown or suit worth hundreds of thousands of pesos (which they will probably only wear once) while they haven’t been able to eat for several days.

All in all, I believe that keeping things simple is going to be a trademark for our new president. Even his speech was straight to the point. He is uncomfortable giving prepared speeches but his natural charm and charisma make it easy for him to connect to everyone in a room. In his first SONA, President Duterte has made it clear that he is a Filipino who loves his country with all his heart and wants to make things better.

He wants to be a leader who moves forward and puts the blame game and finger-pointing aside. You can say that is an ordinary Filipino citizen who dreams of a better country not just for some, but for all Filipinos. And he wants to help the Juan and Juana on the streets who have to push and fight and shove for a spot on the MRT to go to work. He wants to help OFWs. He wants to hopefully help simplify processes so that things like getting a driver’s license or a passport can be easy – as they should be. He hates drugs, crime, human trafficking, and unnecessary red tape. He strives for industrialization to be done outside of Manila giving our provinces a much-needed economic boost. And he wants to help our agriculture sector and especially our farmers thrive once again.

In the end, I believe President Duterte wants peace and he wants to create a country that everyone can equally share. Now is the time for all of us to support and do our part to create this better Philippines.