In this part of the globe where losing candidates often blame cheating for their defeat, it is truly a welcome development to see presidential aspirants conceding to the winner.
First to concede and accept Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s victory was Senator Grace Poe, followed by Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas, and Vice President Jejomar Binay a few days later.
And now that elections are over, it is time to focus on presumptive President Duterte and the major changes that are in store for our people when he assumes his post as Chief Executive.
A day after elections, Duterte’s camp already revealed his intentions to implement nationwide some of the disciplinary actions he executed during his stint as Davao mayor.
This would include a liquor ban that would prohibit establishments from selling alcoholic drinks at past 1 a.m.
A curfew would also be imposed on minors who would be caught unescorted by a parent or guardian at 10 in the evening.
A smoking ban in public places would also be put into place although this would not make a major impact since a number of establishments have already been implementing their own ban on smoking for some time now.
Even the loud playing of karaoke or videoke machines would no longer be allowed during late hours.
Although we understand Duterte means well with these disciplinary actions, it all came as a surprise even to a lot of his supporters.
The presumptive president also disclosed his desire to restore the death penalty, expecting this would deter crime.
One thing for sure, this would be met by a lot of protests and criticisms especially from the Church.
What came as a shock to many last Monday was Duterte’s statement in a press conference that he would offer the top posts of the departments of agrarian reform, environment and natural resources, labor and employment, and social welfare and development to Leftists.
Only a day earlier, Duterte disclosed that exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison is welcome to return to the country and participate in peace talks.
But the question is, how will the rest of the government, especially the military and police, function on equal footing with the communists who have been their bitter enemies in the past decades?
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