Presidential Aspirants Series: Rodrigo Duterte

PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS SERIES:  RODRIGO DUTERTE

By Anton Antonio

August 13, 2015

“Campaign strategies should, at the very least, revolve around the governance qualification and competence of a candidate.  Mudslinging is part of the political entertainment… but, again, at a certain point, this has to stop.” (Antonio, 2015)  This was my last statement in a blog/article titled “This Has To Stop” published and posted on http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/antonio.c.antonio.  Consistent with my desire to make the 2016 presidential campaign a gentleman’s game, the articles to be carried in the “Presidential Aspirants Series” will not indulge in mudslinging, vilification, character assassination, image-demeaning, etc. hype that has been prevalent on social media lately.  In the next few days, let us make better sense of things, level the playing field, and inform the voting Filipinos on only the strengths of the declared presidential aspirants.  This way, we can all make more informed and intelligent decisions based on merits; and not on negative social media posts and information.  Please note that this “series” will only carry presidential aspirants who categorically and publicly stated that they will run in 2016. To be perfectly fair, the information used in this “series” will also consistently come from the same source (Wikipedia).

Rodrigo Roa Duterte (born March 28, 1945), who also goes by the nicknames Rody or Digong, is a Filipino lawyer and politician.

Duterte was born on March 28, 1945 in Maasin, Southern Leyte, Philippines under the Commonwealth rule to Vicente G. Duterte, who served as Governor of Davao and Soledad Roa, a school teacher and a civic leader.  He spent his elementary days at the Sta. Ana Elementary School in Davao City, where he graduated in 1956.  He finished his secondary education at the Holy Cross of Digos.  For his tertiary education, he took up a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Lyceum of the Philippines University, where he graduated in 1968.  He also obtained a law degree from San Beda College in 1972.  In the same year, he passed the bar exam.

Soledad R. Duterte is the mother of the present Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and widow of the Late Vicente Duterte who served as Provincial Governor from 1959 to 1965.  Mrs. Duterte was born on November 14, 1916 in Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte to Eleno Roa and Fortunata Gonzales.  She finished her elementary and secondary education in her native town.  She pursued her college education at the Philippine Normal School in Manila in 1939.  She was connected with the Bureau of Public Schools as a teacher when she met and marries lawyer Vicente Duterte of Cebu.  The Dutertes came to Davao in 1952.  Vicente as a lawyer engaged in private-practice, while Soledad as a teacher taught in the public school.  Mrs. Duterte, however, retired as a supervisor in 1952 when her lawyer-husband joined politics.  She left government service owing to the demands of a politician-husband.  As wife of the governor, she became familiar with the social and economic problems of the people, especially the out-of-school youth, women, children and the disabled.

After the 1986 People Power Revolution, Duterte was appointed officer-in-charge vice mayor.  In 1988, he ran for mayor and won, serving until 1998.  He set a precedent by designating deputy mayors that represented Lumad and Moro in the city government, which was later copied in other parts of the country.  In 1998, because he was term-limited to run again for mayor, he ran for the House of Representatives and won as Congressman of the 1^st District of Davao City.  In 2001, he ran again for mayor in Davao and was again elected for his fourth term.  He was reelected in 2004 and in 2007.  In 2010, he was elected vice mayor, succeeding his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio who was elected as mayor.

Davao City under Duterte won the National Literacy Hall of Fame Award for being a three-time first place winner in the Outstanding Local Government Unit Highly Urbanized City category.  Through the support of Duterte, the City Council amended Ordinance No. 1627, Series of 1994, which imposed a prohibition on selling, serving, drinking and consumption of liquors and alcoholic beverages from 1:00 am to 8:00 am.  Executive Order No. 39 was signed by Duterte, setting the speed limits for all kinds of motor vehicles within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City in the interest of public safety and order.  The City Government of Davao acquired 10 more ambulances for Central 911 intended for medical emergencies and 42 new mobile patrol vehicles and motorcycles for the Davao City and Police Office.  Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, through E.O. No. 24, ordered all shopping malls and commercial centers to install, operate and maintain high end and high definition closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all entrance and exit points of their premises.  Davao City sent rescue and medical teams to Tacloban to give aid to victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).  Financial assistance was also given to Bohol and Cebu for the earthquake victims.

Crime figures reported by Duterte, alleged that crime in the city was significantly reduces during the period 1985-2000, a time when the Davao death squads came to prominence.  Duterte suggested that there had been a decrease in crime from a triple-digit crime rate per 1,000 people in 1985 to 0.8 cases per 10,000 inhabitants in the period 1999 to 2005.  According to Human Rights Watch, which investigated the Davao Death Squads, the majority of the earlier crimes related to petty offenses, whose fall coincided with a sharp rise in the murder rate.  Furthermore, according to police statistics the population in Davao City grew from 1.12 million to 1.44 million between 1999 and 2008 (29 percent).  In the corresponding period the incidence of crime rose from 975 to 3,391 (248 percent).  Human Rights Watch argues that the harsh anti-crime campaign institutes during Duterte’s period of office failed to tackle crime rates and moreover, the rise in murders appeared to have exacerbated crime rates in the city.

Duterte has been heavily criticized by numerous organizations for condoning and even inciting murders to take place during his leadership.  In the April 2009 UN General Assembly of the Human Rights Council, the UN report (Eleventh Session Agenda item 3, par 21) said, “The mayor of Davao City has done nothing to prevent these killings, and his public comments suggest that he is, in fact, supportive.”  Human Rights Watch reported that in 2001-2002, Duterte appeared on local television and radio and announced the names of “criminals”, some of whom were later executed.  In July 2005 at a crime summit in the Manila Hotel the politician said, “Summary execution of criminals remains the most effective way to crush kidnapping and illegal drugs”.  In 2009 Duterte said: “If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am the mayor, you are a legitimate target for assassination.”  Duterte responding to the reported arrest and subsequent release of a notorious drug lord in Manila is quoted as saying: “Here in Davao, you can’t go out alive.  You can go out, but inside a coffin.  Is that what you call extra-judicial killing?  Then I will just bring a drug lord to a judge and kill him there, that will no longer be extra-judicial.”  Referring to the arrest of a suspected rice smuggler, Duterte spoke out in the state senate saying, “If this guy would go to Davao and starts to unload (smuggled rice)… I will gladly kill him.”  For these comments Duterte was attacked in an editorial in The Manila Times, which condemned “the mentality of lawlessness and vigilantism.”  The newspaper argued that this culture of impunity enabled those in power, including officials, “private warlords and businessmen vigilantes” to take retribution against those they felt had acted against their interests: “They kill journalists exposing corruption and human rights activists exposing abusive police and military men.”  Following Duterte’s comments in relation to killing a person suspected of smuggling rice, the office of the President of the Philippines issued a statement saying, “Killing a person is against the law.  The President has been firm in the belief that no one is above the law.  We must not resort to extralegal methods.”

On his views on federalism, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte initiated the holding of the summit.  “I am calling on all responsible leaders in the island, from government and civil society organizations, from the business and academe sectors, the leaders of the Church, the military and the youth, let us all forge a well-informed, united front, so we could craft a collective plan of action for Mindanao’s true identity reflective of what its peoples and tribes truly wish and aspire for.” Duterte said in a statement.  Among those who are expected to attend are former President Fidel V. Ramos, Msgr. Fernando Capalla, Ateneo de Davao President Fr. Joel Tabora, former Mindanao economic Development chair Paul g. Dominguez, and retired General Hermogenes Esperon.  Local government heads from Mindanao cities, towns and provinces are also expected to attend, as well as Catholic bishops and Muslim religious leaders.

Last September, Duterte met with former mayors and governors in an initial effort to revive calls for a federal form of government.  The group, which called itself Mindanao Council of Leaders, made their position public after an informal caucus.  Present during the said meeting were Bukidnon Governor Jose Maria Zubiri, former Cagayan de Oro mayors Reuben Canoy and Vicente Emano, former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos, and former Davao del Norte representative Pantaleon Alvarez.  A month later, Duterte was in Cebu City and met with Cebu officials.  The event was sponsored by the Federal Movement for a Better Philippines and coincided with the induction of its new set of officers held at the Sacred Heart Center in Cebu City.

As of January 2015, Duterte has made hints to the media of his possible intent to run for the presidency come 2016, with the promise of abolishing Congress altogether in favour of a parliament, if ever he wins.  Though he does not score very well in opinion polls when compared to the likes of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, experts have noted that this does little damage to his candidacy or qualifications.  An online petition was run to encourage Duterte to run for the presidency in the next Philippine Elections who gathers almost 1,800 signatures around the globe with a goal of 5,000,000 online signatures.  In March surveys done by Pulse Asia and the Social Weather Stations however Duterte an undeclared candidate zoomed to third place besting Senator Santiago and administration perceived presidential bet DILG Sec. Mar Roxas.

Allow me to reiterate that my purpose in the “Presidential Aspirants Series” is to give the opportunity for the public to be exposed on the merits and governance skill sets of perceived presidential aspirants in next year’s election.  And now that you’ve read this piece together with the articles on the other presidential aspirants, are you for Rodrigo Duterte?

Thoughts to promote positive action…

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REFERENCES:

Antonio, A. C., (2015). “This Has To Stop”.  Retrieved on August 13, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/08/this-has-to-stop.html

Wikipedia, (2015). “Rodrigo Duterte”. Retrieved on August 13, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodrigo_Duterte