A passing grade for first year in office
We believe that the character of our politics makes it relatively easy to rate a president. Partisanship is one factor that influences a president’s performance and his ability to overcome political conundrums and display his administrative capabilities, including his upbringing, manners and morals.
President Duterte and his public relations team have so far done a good job of accentuating his distinctive traits, both positive and negative, in a way that makes his actions acceptable.
Surveys have so far shown that his popularity has not waned.
But we have a few criteria, which are objectively our own, for evaluating presidential performance:
- He is guided by a fixed agenda, taking the risks of being unpopular, pursuing his program against illegal drugs and corruption;
- He practices a resolute attitude toward diplomacy and protocol, which may not confirm with routine standards;
- Because of this, he can expose the pretenses concealed by the old practice of diplomatic nicety (e.g., he has not spared bishops and priests and world leaders the criticisms that he feels have basis in truth);
- Although he has shown bias in some of his decisions regarding police officers, he has also fired close friends and classmates who were proven to be corrupt.
In keeping with these simple criteria, we feel that President Duterte deserves a passing grade in his first year in office, in the way he exercises authority and responsibility.
It is not a rating of flying colors. We are giving him an above-average passing grade considering the difficult times we are in and the various criticisms of extrajudicial killings, foul language, and crass display of ill manners.
His unorthodox conduct often helped reveal tidbits of our unpleasant national character, hidden by tradition from the awareness of the common people.
MARK E. PARAS JR. and RAMON DIÑO, [email protected]
