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The Filipino people have to realize that “better is possible” in the coming 2022 elections, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s slew of unfulfilled promises, said Rappler multimedia reporter Pia Ranada during the Newsbreak Chats episode aired on Thursday, July 29.
Titled, Newsbreak Chats: Pangakong Napako, Probinsiyang Nadaya (Broken Promises, Hoodwinked Provinces), the Newsbreak team discussed Duterte’s unfulfilled promises and how his shortcomings were felt the most among local governments and the regions – “the very sectors he came from and vowed to to empower,” investigative editor Miriam Grace A. Go said.
The panel was composed of Ranada, Rappler Mindanao bureau coordinator Herbie Gomez, Cebu bureau coordinator Ryan Macasero, and multimedia reporters Ralf Rivas and Rambo Talabong. Go moderated the discussion.
The Newsbreak team talked about how, with only a year left in office, Duterte still has a number of unfulfilled promises – such as the promise to eradicate drugs, fight corruption, shift to federalism, uphold peace and security, end contractualization, and give jobs to the poor, among others.
“Because Duterte failed in a number of major promises, is there a temptation for voters to just lower their expectations or standards for the next leader? How do we work against that kind of mindset?” Go asked the reporters.
Throwing away the ‘puwede na ’yan’ mindset
There is a need to highlight examples of effective governance by other Filipino leaders in order to convince Filipinos that “better is possible,” said Ranada.
“’Yung feeling na, ‘puwede na yan,’ dapat i-highlight natin ’yung mga examples ng leadership that went above and beyond and even exceeded Duterte and our expectations…. We should ask, ‘Bakit nakaya nila, pero hindi nakaya ni Duterte?’” Ranada said.
([To remove] the “that’s good enough” level of satisfaction, we should highlight the examples of leadership that went above and beyond, and even exceeded Duterte and our expectations…. We should ask, “How come they were able to do that, but Duterte didn’t?”)
Ranada mentioned Pasig City’s PasigPass, the city’s app that runs via quick response (QR) code system and is now being used by the residents as its centralized app that contains their personal and health records used for contact tracing efforts and vaccination registration.
She also mentioned that there are local government units, such as Valenzuela City, that offer free COVID-19 testing to its citizens. Normally, COVID-19 tests range from P1,500 to P8,000, depending on the kind of test and the turnaround time of the results. (READ: LIST: COVID-19 teleconsultation lines, home testing services)
“[The Filipinos should know that] we don’t have to settle for less. That there are actually leaders out there that can deliver,” Ranada said.
Duterte’s charisma
The Newsbreak team also discussed how Duterte still enjoys high approval ratings despite repeatedly failing to meet his own government’s set economic targets, and the number of promises from his campaign that he has yet to deliver.
A Mindanaoan, Gomez said he believed the surveys showing Duterte’s popularity. “Kasi nakaka-identify sa kanya ’yung mga tao eh. Duterte is the type, kung sa Mindanao, tawag namin d’yan mananggiting hubog, meaning tuba-gatherer na lasing. He speaks that way. People identify,” he explained. (Because people identify with him. Duterte is the type, as we in Mindanao call it, a drunk tuba-gatherer.)
Comparing Duterte to former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada, Gomez also noted how Duterte is an “authentic kanto boy” because of the way he speaks and curses even during public appearances. This, Gomez said, made him more relatable and people understood him better than any previous presidents.
However, Gomez also noted that, in his circles, many of the people who used to support Duterte have now turned against him – especially when Duterte abandoned his promise to shift to federalism.
Go also noted that, more than being able to capture the heart of the people through the way one speaks or acts, it’s more important for a leader to actually govern properly.
“Hindi nare-realize ng mga tao na, okay, para kang kanto boy o lasing magsalita, pero dapat hindi lasing ’yung pagpapatakbo mo sa pamahalaan, di ba, saka sa bansa?” she said.
(But people don’t realize that, while sounding like a drunkard makes you relatable, you shouldn’t be running the government, the country, like that.) – Rappler.com
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