Monday, December 30, 2019

After Pres. Duterte - what now Philippines

Among all the Philippine presidents during my lifetime, I was aware of Diosdado Macapagal but I was not in the know how politics work.  It was only then during the terms of Marcos, Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Pnoy Aquino and now, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, that I took notice on what the government does and how they do things.  It was in the term of Marcos that I was able to learn how politicians and government workers (including police and military) work "their way in serving the public" (yes, in quotation marks).

In my younger days until I reached second year high school, I looked at politicians and government employees very highly.  It looked to me that they were "a cut above the rest'.  Why?  Because they know so many things that it seems difficult for an ordinary citizen to know about.  It was in term of Marcos that I realized government officials and employees are lazy and pretend that their job is very difficult and complicated.  That is the time when graft and corruption comes to work.  They know that the public do not know about their work, no matter how easy.  At his point, the lazy public and those who can afford, start giving grease money or gifts to get favors from those bastards.

Some people these days say that Marcos was the best president ever because of his accomplishments and achievements.  I am sorry to tell them that the Marcos regime was a total of 21 years, (1965 to 1972 as elected president, then from 1972 to 1986 martial law under him). Whatever he accomplished and achieved was for 21 years.  Most of them probably during martial law and they were on his dictates.  Pres. Marcos had also so many cronies like Danding Cojuanco, Bendicto, D.M. Consunji, Enrile, Floirendo, Lucio Tan and many others.  Surely, he would have benefited from their transactions with the government.

Only Pres. Duterte who, within his term to-date, has achieved respectable accomplishments within a short time.  He was the only president who was able to fight off drug syndication, oligarchs and corruption with considerable impact.  He is a respected personality/celebrity in several countries and made significant relations to Asean nations.  After President Duterte, what now Philippines?

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