The Filipino people met a different Rodrigo Duterte on his first day in Malacanang. No curses, no threats, none of those checkered Duterte shirts. Instead, he was described as “presidential, purposeful and persuasive” during his 15-minute inaugural speech following his swearing in as the 16th president of the Republic of the Philippines in Malacanang. And he was wearing a barong Tagalog with a Philippine flag pinned on his lapel, not the usual jean and shirt attire as many had expected.
His speech, described by Ateneo School of Government Dean Antonio La Vina as one of the best speeches he has ever heard, was “good, plain, straight to the point, consistent with his advocacies, but this time there is reassurance about knowing his limits.”
A look at the reactions of senators, congressmen and even the usually critical newspapers points to a very good start by the usually tough-talking former Davao mayor in his six-year presidency.
Sen. Ralph Recto described the speech best: “Like a great woman’s dress, it was long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to be interesting. It proved that brevity need not be junked to accommodate a host of bold statements.”
Recto said he believed the address covered the breadth of things Duterte initially wanted to do, balancing audacity with guarantees that his administration wouldn’t go overboard in pursuing them.
“He will go hard after criminals but not at the expense of killing the rule of law. He will comfort the afflicted but not by impoverishing the already comfortable. He will help laborers but will not harm capital in the process,” Recto said.
He noted that Duterte’s pronouncements struck the right mix of being bold but responsible. He said they were courageous and comforting at the same time.
Sen. Loren Legarda hasd this to say: “We can see the sincerity in the President’s words, the single-mindedness of a true leader, the political will to bring a government that truly serves the people with passion, vision, and compassion. I am very optimistic that we can fully push for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable growth under the new administration as the President himself embraces these concepts and reaches out to all sectors of society.”
“The speech was direct to the point. President Duterte’s speech is a glimpse of what we should expect from his administration: straightforward, unembellished [and] unpretentious,” said Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles of Davao City.
“For the first time, he did not mouth curses. He promised that as soon as he assumed power, he would no longer throw invectives. And he did not,” said Ramon Casiple, executive director of Institute for Political and Electoral Reform (IPER).
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, a usually critical newspaper, said Duterte’s presidency is off to a very good start, with “a powerfully argued inaugural address that set forth his vision of governance in clear, compelling terms.”
The Inquirer said Duterte delivered a “carefully written, well-calibrated speech—and yet it did not for a moment sound inauthentic. It was the real Duterte, the veteran prosecutor who was equally at home in English and the language of the law, the successful local executive who proudly points to both his law and order record and his city’s thriving example, the long-time politician who has thought often about the country’s biggest problems.”
The Manila Standard, another tough-talking newspaper, was all praises: “President Rodrigo Duterte’s inaugural speech was a stark departure from his previous statements and his demeanor in the past few weeks. It was a good first day in office.
“Those who were anticipating a strongly worded speech from the usually tough-talking Duterte were surprised that he was presidential—calm and even tentative in a few unguarded moments, as if he were just coming to terms with the overwhelming task that lay before him.”
After winning the hearts of more than 16 million Filipinos, it is obvious that Duterte has persuaded a few more millions to believe in him, or at least to give him a chance to prove his worth as the nation’s leader.
He appeared sincere when he said the road ahead would be rough. “The ride will be rough but come and join me just the same. Together, shoulder to shoulder, let us take the first wobbly steps in this quest,” he said.
To show he meant business in his quest for real change, Duterte set the tone for his governance right in the very first meeting with his Cabinet, just hours after telling the people the direction of his administration.
He told the Cabinet members to forget special treatment. “I don’t want special treatment. There’s no stopping of activities just because of somebody,” he said. He ordered Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to instruct the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to scrap the “no-fly zone” protocol at the airports to accommodate presidential flights.
“I want this stopped,” he said. “We should not be treated differently from the other suffering Filipino passengers. It’s not good.”
His predecessor, President Benigno S. Aquino III said as much when he initiated his “wang wang” policy, but it was forgotten just as soon. We are confident that Duterte would pursue his own no VIP policy throughout his term.
Another first-day incident at Malacanang that was so surreal the Inquirer reporter described it as such was when he invited activists outside Malacanang to come in and dialogued with them. In previous administrations, marchers were stopped on Mendiola Bridge with barbed wires and troops.
Rollie Macasaet, one of the original members of his core group, during his visit to Los Angeles told us that Duterte is a very intelligent and decent man and that when he talks tough and makes jokes during campaign sorties, he was just trying to entertain the crowd and tell them what they wanted to hear. But once he becomes president, he will act like a president.
After Duterte’s first day in office, many believe him now.
(valabelgas@aol.com)