Pres. Duterte we heard you loud and clear!

In the headline news of our national dailies, Pulse Asia reported that the trust and performance ratings for President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte saw a drop from 83% in December 2016 to 78% in March 2017 with an error of plus or minus 3%. I’m sure that the Yellowtards are overjoyed with this report, while the Dutertards are saying that this is normal for a Presidency that has already been nine months in office. Pres. Duterte's trust rating continues to be high in Mindanao and Visayas with 90 percent and 84 percent, respectively and that’s due to the fact that he has focused on huge infra projects in these places south of Manila like the Mindanao Railway!

I watched the ANC interview of Pulse Asia research director Ana Tabunda who said that Duterte’s current performance and trust ratings are comparable with former President Benigno Aquino III’s ratings in March 2011. Tabunda also said that ratings of presidents traditionally decline over time. This is why many Dutertards are not alarmed by this drop as reported by Pulse Asia. What is significant from the statement of Tabunda was when she said, “Duterte is not immune to changes in opinion, that no single issue is responsible for Duterte’s rating drop but a combination of issues.”

If there is any single issue that could have caused a drop in Pres. Duterte’s trust and performance ratings, it is the continued media attacks against the so-called extra judicial killings (EJK) in news reports by CNN and New York Times, which also demanded the release of incarcerated Sen. Leila de Lima. This includes the statements by the European Union wherein those news reports also end up as headline news in our national and local newspapers where most Filipinos get to read this negative reporting.

Then of course, there’s that impeachment complaint for Pres. Duterte. Another major factor that may have caused this drop is his usual tirades against the bishops, priests and the Catholic Church. When he attacks Catholics in general, Pres. Duterte fails to realize that many of us, staunch Catholics also supported him and just because we supported him, don’t expect us to defect to another Christian church. This is why Pres. Duterte should be told that when attacking the Catholic Church he also attacks a great majority of Catholic Filipinos that supported his presidency.

Like what I already wrote, his saintly mother the late Mrs. Soledad Roa Duterte lived and died a Catholic and so now, she is part of the Triumphant Church in heaven. We respect the fact that Pres. Duterte is no longer a Catholic, so he must be told that he should respect Catholics even if he hates certain Catholic bishops, whom many Catholics also do not like!

As a supporter of Pres. Duterte, let me say that he is far from perfect and he openly admits that. If there is anything that he needs to change immediately, he must stop repeating his talks about killing those who would destroy our youth for he has already sent this message in the last nine months in office. When Pres. Duterte must speak on new issues, he must focus on it. But instead, he repeats his favorite, “I will kill you!” which the foreign media loves to interpret in the wrong way! Someone in the Duterte Cabinet must be brave enough to tell Pres. Digong that the Filipino people have heard him loud and clear so he could move on to many other pressing topics!

Mind you, there are many plus factors that make many people continue to support Pres. Duterte despite his negatives. For instance his firing of around a hundred government employees for corruption and the recent firing of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mike Sueno. This is a great sign of Duterte’s political will. Unlike his predecessor, Pres. PNoy Aquino who cannot find it in his heart to remove his erring close aides and uses his suspended Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to spearhead Oplan Exodus that ended in the Mamasapano massacre.

By not perfect, I’m also very much against Pres. Duterte’s giving the housing unit for the soldiers in Bulacan which was illegally occupied by the Urban Poor Kadamay. While Pres. Duterte appealed to the soldiers during the 120^th anniversary of the Philippine Army in Taguig City to give in to his request and promised them another housing unit to be finished by December, however by so doing, Pres. Duterte has opened the floodgates of anarchy! I’m sure that the soldiers would understand the President, after all we should credit him for always visiting the wounded soldiers or their wakes.

Finally let me say that I’m glad that the DOJ is now investigating the Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) and the Tagum Agricultural Development Authority (Tadeco) deal that as House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez pointed out was disadvantageous to the government. Tadeco is owned by his former friend, Davao De Norte Rep Antonio Floirendo, Jr. who is known as the biggest supported of Pres. Duterte. Again, this is another plus factor that make Filipinos continue their support and confidence with Pres. Duterte who is doing very well, but like I said, Pres. Duterte, we heard you loud and clear!

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