As President Rodrigo Duterte’s last year of his six-year term in office starts today (July 1)—and with less than a month left before he delivers his final state of the nation address (SONA)—his spokesperson on Wednesday listed some of the administration’s top achievements off the top of his head.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said top on the list of the administration’s achievements was the aggressive anti-illegal drugs campaign.
Duterte, in several speeches, mentioned it was the duty of the state to protect the people from drug lords and coddlers whose illicit trade had caused dysfunctional families.
“Needless to say we have achieved a lot on the president’s promise especially against the illegal drug trade,” Roque said in a press conference in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Citing Pulse Asia survey results, he said Duterte remained highly popular among Filipinos with a 91 percent approval rating.
“There is a study by Pulse Asia that says that many of our people continue to trust and continue to be satisfied with his performance because he kept his promise to fight the illegal drug trade,” he said.
Roque also mentioned the administration’s efforts to cut bureaucratic red-tape and corruption at both the national and regional levels.
“Also among the achievements are inroads in corruption and red tape,” he added.
In October 2020, Duterte ordered the Department of Justice to probe corruption “in the entire government.”
As part of efforts to ensure speedier transactions, the President also ordered all agencies and offices to finish transactions within hours, Roque said.
He added Duterte also signed milestone bills into laws including Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act and RA 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act to name a few.
“Let us not forget that the President is the first president to sign laws on free tuition in state universities and colleges, free healthcare treatment and medicines, Universal Health Care, free irrigation for farmers, free Wi-Fi among others,” he said.
He also cited Duterte’s signing of the Bayanihan 1 and 2 laws meant to combat COVID-19 and bankroll billion-peso emergency subsidy programs.
“Of course there are many social pieces of legislation in the fight against COVID, including free PCR testing which was not initially part of the PhilHealth coverage and billions of vaccines under Universal Health Care,” he added.
Roque said among the administration’s priority during Duterte’s last year in office was to get Filipinos vaccinated against COVID-19.
“It has not changed. It is still ensuring that every Filipino is vaccinated,” Roque said in a recent televised news conference when asked about the President’s priorities in his final stretch in the office.
Roque said he would leave it to Duterte to articulate the rest of his administration’s achievements in his last SONA on July 26 at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
Last week, the Presidential Security Group assured the “smooth and safe” conduct of Duterte’s final SONA.
“This will be the last SONA of the President, so we will ensure and assure the Filipino people that it will go smoothly and safely as with the past state of the nation addresses of the President,” PSG commander Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III said in an interview with state-run PTV-4.
