The Rody Review - Grate Expectations
“Duterte’s victory is a product of . . . a climate of grievance politics that has allowed strongman candidates like Duterte and Marcos to capture the imagination of a large section of the society, which is sick and tired of traditional politicians and post-Marcos dictatorship oligarchs,” said Richard Javad Heydarian, political analyst and associate professor at De La Salle University in Manila.
He has proved particularly popular among the four million Filipinos overseas foreign workers (OFWs).
“Many OFWs, sick and tired of corruption and incompetence at home, see in Duterte a decisive leader than can overhaul a broken nation. Democrat fatigue and autocratic nostalgia is kicking in, obviously,” said Heydarian.
"The US has been patronising, condescending. By being unpredictable, Duterte will be a source of concern, and so they will have to treat him with a little more respect," said Mr Custodio.
"It's more equi-balancing vis-a- vis Beijing and America," said political analyst Richard
Javad Heydarian, of De La Salle University.He said a softer policy towards China is unlikely to drive a wedge into the US-Philippine alliance, no matter who is elected president.
Ease of doing business, another common complaint especially from those dealing with local government units for their various permits, is also high on Duterte’s agenda. The plan is for the national government to follow the “Davao model,” where licenses needed to start and operate a business are issued in the shortest possible time. It promises a regime in which the government will actually help investors put up businesses instead of being a hindrance.
Also on the agenda is the plan to develop the rural areas, basically the agriculture sector, by providing support services to small farmers to improve their productivity. The new regime will encourage more investors to put up processing businesses in the agricultural areas. Promoting tourism in the rural areas will also be a focus in the incoming administration. So is the strengthening of the basic education system and the provision of scholarships for tertiary education, which, Duterte’s team believes, is relevant to the needs of the private sector, or matching what is taught with what is demanded in the field.
Other aspects of Duterte’s economic agenda involve the continuation of two pillars of President Aquino’s administration—the slow-to-start public-private partnership program and the hugely successful conditional cash transfer program more popularly known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Voters are accustomed to the hyperbole of aspirants. But those who elected Duterte really voted for change. His economic team has set high targets, and the difference is that they are more confident in reaching goals because Duterte is a doer.
Some news items and knee-jerk reactions:
China hopes new administration will usher in better ties with PH
It depends how you treat a jet skier president.
P5 million worth of cakes for Duterte’s victory
Chef Jack is giving away moist chocolate cakes to celebrate Rodrigo Duterte’s victory. (But I’m not telling you where, before I get-my-cake-and-eat-it-too).
A hit in a WordWeb, a computer dictionary, defines durian as a fruit that “smells like hell, tastes like heaven… and heals like a miracle.” Durian’s pungent odor, even with the husk intact, repels some people on first impression. But to those who know it, the fruit’s smell is a pleasantly sweet fragrance. The fruit is delicious, soft, succulent, and very popular for its unique characteristics. It’s known as the “king of fruits” in the Southeast Asia.
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