In her open letter to President Rodrigo Duterte, Facebook user Jover Laurio cited ten reasons why she still does not like the Philippine president.
Laurio admitted that she did not vote for Duterte, but since he won, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, she condemned that changes that Duterte have been making within his first 100 days, citing that these changes are not what the Philippines needed.
Her first reason was Duterte’s seemingly encouraging law enforcers and even civilian Filipinos to ignore due process. Duterte has indeed made several pronouncements to law enforcers, giving them a shoot-to-kill order if the suspects and even narcopoliticians show violent resistance.
On September 20, Duterte urged the soldiers to kill criminals in the line of duty and he will pardon and even promote them. He was even quoted saying, “Pagka bumunot, patayin mo. Pag hindi bumunot, patayin mo rin putang ina para matapos na. Eh kaysa mawala pa yung baril. Ako na ang bahala sa inyo.” He later contradicted this statement, saying that he would never order the military to do something illegal.
Laurio’s second reason was that Duterte promised to change, that there will be a “metamorphosis” when he becomes president. In an ABS-CBN report on June 3, Duterte was quoted saying: “I am not the president [yet]. Mamaya na, maghintay kayo. I’m really a rude person.”
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Laurio gave her fourth reason – Duterte promised to defend the Philippines from China. During one of the legs of the presidential debate, he even jokingly promised to get on a jetski to the Spratlys and put up the Philippine flag. Laurio recalled how Duterte seemed tame when it comes to China and how he threw insults to US President Barack Obama.
Laurio also recalled Duterte’s promise of choosing only the best and the brightest as his Cabinet members for her fifth reason. Cayetano once told the media that Duterte’s administration will only have the “best and the brightest,” only the “accomplished and reformist.” However, Laurio pointed out that some of the Cabinet members were chosen as payment for “utang na loob,” despite conflict of interest, like Interior Secretary Mark Villar.
As for Mary Jane Veloso’s fight, Laurio wanted to ask Duterte why he did not for her. Duterte said that it would have been bad taste in the mouth to beg Indonesia for something when he also has remained firm in his war against drugs.
For her seventh reason, Laurio pointed out how the budget for the Office of the President has increased significantly. In the 2017 budget, the OP got a P17 billion increase compared to former President Benigno Aquino III’s budget of P2.87 billion in 2016. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said that the increase will help pay for the hosting of the ASEAN Summit in 2017 and for Duterte’s war on drugs and crime.
Laurio also reacted to how Duterte’s allies in the Senate tried to gang up on self-confessed Davao Death Squad member Edgar Matobato while ruining Senator Leila de Lima.
Laurio’s ninth reason was Duterte’s failure to deliver some of his promises, like solving traffic, getting rid of contractualization, increasing the salaries of the soldiers, cops, and teachers, and improving the poor’s quality of life.
But according to Laurio, the biggest reason why she does not like Duterte is how he treated the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. as a hero. Duterte has remained firm in his stand to allow Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani despite oppositions from the Martial Law victims and even his allies, adding that Marcos deserved it so because he was a soldier.
She ended her letter saying that one promise she knows that Duterte stayed true to is his promise of a “bloody Philippines.”
“Sa lahat ng pinangako nyo, isa pa lang ang natutupad, nung sinabi niyo pag nanalo kayo, “It will be bloody…” Sa araw-araw na patayan, indeed it is now a BLOODY PHILIPPINES,” Laurio said.
Sources: (facebook.com, newsinfo.inquirer.net, rappler.com, news.abs-cbn.com, philstar.com, gmanetwork.com)
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