President Duterte’s meeting with US President Obama was canceled due to statements that the latter considered uncalled for. Yet the message sent to the United States was clear: The Philippines will never be a vassal of the United States.
Despite the widely perceived “faux pas,” President Duterte gained worldwide admiration for his courage. For the first time a Philippine president strongly asserted the Filipino nation’s right to freedom and sovereignty.
The President has been bombarded with a lot of criticism from all sides, in fact, from around the world, particularly from people who have an agenda of their own. He is being criticized for the alleged extrajudicial killings of which no case has been proven. His people are grateful that the vicious drug menace is being eradicated. Mr. Duterte’s people now feel safe and secure in their homes. What matters to the President is his people’s welfare and not what the critics want to happen to our country.
—V. EMMANUEL C. FONTANILLA, Fontanilla and Fontanilla-Mamadra, 3/F Gonzales Bldg., Pioneer Avenue, General Santos City