Senators yesterday rated President Duterte’s first 100 days in office and expressed belief that he needs to start toning down his rhetoric to prevent his popularity from eroding.
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said he is open to give the President a rating of seven out of 10, considering that Duterte started strong and carried out unconventional solutions to the country’s most pressing needs.
“He has shown tremendous political will and is even willing to make unpopular decisions as long as it will be beneficial in the end,” Ejercito said. “But after 100 days, President Duterte still has to realize that he is no longer a local chief executive. We hope to see him quickly adapt into the presidency, because his conduct represents the nation, and his words can shape national policies,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III gave the President a nine for prioritizing the war against illegal drugs.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said there is still a lot of room for improvement, especially in the area of foreign relations. But so far, the President’s actions in the first 100 days are being felt by all Filipinos, he said.
“I think there is still a lot of room for improvement. The administration can still improve in foreign relations and in putting faster economic reforms. For me, I give him eight out of 10.”
“Based on my observations, the President is very consistent with his promise of eliminating illegal drugs and putting order on the streets. This is the sole reason why he was voted into office. People are starting to feel safe.
Government officials are afraid of stealing from government coffers,” Gatchalian added.
Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV, a critic, said he is inclined to give the President a five out of 10.
Trillanes noted there were no significant changes in other areas of governance. “He’s a five. Aside from the war on drugs, there are no drastic policy changes on the other areas of governance,” Trillanes said. “Worse, we’re now the laughing stock of the international community,” he added.
Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said he is willing to give the President a seven or 7.5 out of 10 as a grade. “The President deserves high marks in his first 100 days in office despite some gaffes due to numerous controversial foreign policy pronouncements. I give special mention to the much improved peace and order situation due to significant reduction in crimes against persons and property,” Lacson said. (Hannah L. Torregoza)