Editorial 7/1/16 (Philippines, politics, society, president)

Philippine Star "Restoring people’s faith"

The ride will be rough, Rodrigo Roa Duterte promised in his first speech as the 16th President. He nevertheless reiterated that “real change” is coming, as he invited the people to join him in the ride. In his crosshairs, apart from the drug menace and criminality, is corruption at all levels of government “high and low.” He would have “no friends to serve,” he vowed, and “no enemies to harm.” As promised after his landslide victory, his first marching order to all heads of executive departments and agencies is to simplify processes and cut red tape in doing business with government, on pain of harsh sanctions. Keeping his mandate in mind, Duterte also vowed not to be deterred by opposition to his “unorthodox methods, bordering on the illegal,” of fighting crime. But he vowed an “uncompromising” adherence to due process and the rule of law in waging a sustained, relentless war on threats to public safety. [full text]

Sun.Star Cebu "Mary Ann’s assurance"

IF THERE was one thing reassuring in yesterday's transition activities in Cebu City, it is the statement of Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos that the construction of the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) building would be completed. Work on the structure was stopped after the Office of the Building Official (OBO) found out that the project does not have a building permit and that the structure encroaches on a road lot. What makes that statement reassuring is that Mayor Tomas Osmeña had tasked de los Santos to address all concerns related to the project. Until Osmeña rescinds his order, de los Santos's plans are as good as implemented. That lessens the worries about the mayor who, during his previous term, mulled selling the CCMC. So the CCMC project could be one of the acts of former mayor Michael Rama that Osmeña wouldn't reverse..[full text]

Mindanao Times "The Prez and the press"

REGRETTABLY, the conversation between President-elect Rodrigo Duterte and the news media has turned sharp and shrill. All but lost in the noise is the two parties’ common duty in law and tradition to serve and to inform the Filipino people on issues, events and policies that affect their interest and welfare. A president—all at once the chief executive, fount of foreign policy, manager of the national household, guardian of peace and order, commander of the uniformed services, and arbiter of policy conflicts—is the most important pivot of news and policy in the land. The President is mandated by law to lead the nation and to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance. [full text]

Manila Times "A comforting speech"

PRESIDENT Rody Duterte’s 15-minute inaugural address was a good and comforting speech. For the benefit of those who did not bother to listen to him on the radio or watch him on TV—perhaps because they are too jaded to find any speech worth bothering about or because they still harbor a political grudge against him—we quote here some of the most important words he said yesterday. No leader, however strong, can succeed at anything of national importance or significance unless he has the support and cooperation of the people he is tasked to lead and sworn to serve. [full text]

Inquirer "A rousing start"

The presidency of Rodrigo Roa Duterte is off to a very good start, with a powerfully argued inaugural address that set forth his vision of governance in clear, compelling terms. Many of us watching the live broadcast or the livestream of the inauguration—only the fifth regularly scheduled inauguration under the 1987 Constitution, and only the sixth when Gloria Arroyo’s oath-taking at the Edsa Shrine in 2001 is included—must have braced ourselves for fiery rhetoric, off-script insults, or the occasional expletive, but true to his word, Mr. Duterte underwent a “metamorphosis” in the first hour of his presidency. He delivered a carefully written, well-calibrated speech—and yet it did not for a moment sound inauthentic. It was the real Duterte, the veteran prosecutor who was equally at home in English and the language of the law, the successful local executive who proudly points to both his law and order record and his city’s thriving example, the long-time politician who has thought often about the country’s biggest problems. [full page]