The astronomical trust and approval survey rating of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte despite his departure from the Presidency is no fluke. Neither is it based on a sentimental and courtesy compliment to a former President. Filipinos hand down a harsh judgment when it comes to measuring public officials on their performance while in office.
The controversial, curse-spewing, politically willed former Mayor of Davao City who ruled the country with an iron hand, who was not given a China man's chance to win the presidency at the inception of the electoral campaign, who lagged behind the election surveys until in the last few weeks to election day, made a spectacular leap to the front, astonishingly bagged the presidency, to the stunned shock and eternal disappointment of those forces who were enjoying the spoils and perks that the status quo gave them. And yes, to the mortal fear of the criminals, the corrupt, and other enemies of the state.
It is undisputed that Filipinos remain enamored with the former President. The reason is simple. He remained fealty to his oath of office. He had no political agenda nor sought to join the long list of politicians who illegally amassed wealth while in office. He enforced the law equally and exempted no one from the punishment it imposes. He declared war against illegal drugs and rid the streets of drug addicts and criminals and put an end to their criminal acts.
He pursued the drug lords relentlessly and dismantled the drug syndicates that ruin an entire generation and made thousands of families dysfunctional. He fought the oligarchs and made them bend to their knees. He crushed the terrorists and put a stop to the expansion of the communist rebels and their legal fronts. He handled the pandemic correctly by following and enforcing strictly the health protocols recommended by the medical experts. He initiated programs that assisted the informal workers and those on the periphery of society. He took care of the needs of overseas workers. He doubled the salaries of the police and the military while increasing the benefits of the teachers and health workers.
He expanded the free education program to those who cannot afford them. Dizzying infrastructures were built across the archipelago laying the foundation for a robust economy. He removed the bureaucratic red tape. He gave lands to the landless and homes to the homeless. He made sure that the farmers and the fisherfolk are taken care of. He modernized the Armed Forces of the Philippines giving it the arsenal wherewithal to strengthen the country's defenses. PRRD launched an independent foreign policy that didn't know tow to the demands and wishes of imperialist countries.
Other radical reforms and innovations were made in other fields of nation-building by this extraordinary public servant. Those aforementioned achievements and more were seen and felt by an appreciative nation. No wonder the Filipino people are beginning to miss the action and compassionate man that is Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
This former President certainly raised the bar of presidential performance and excellence to a height that is very difficult to reach, but not really impossible, if one is determined and focused to surpass it.
