SINGAPORE – Malacañang yesterday welcomed the inclusion of President Duterte in the list of the most powerful people in the world by Forbes magazine.
According to Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar, Duterte used his authority with utmost responsibility and for the good of the Filipino people.
Andanar said Duterte was a reluctant presidential candidate during the May 2016 elections who won by a landslide.
And since being elected to the highest post in the land, the President “has used the immense powers vested in him by the Constitution with utmost responsibility to promote the well-being of the people.”
“This brings to mind what Abraham Lincoln once said: “Nearly all men can stand adversity; but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” added Andanar.
He cited some of the major programs of Duterte such as the unprecedented war on drugs in which more than 800,000 drug users surrendered.
“Also, the President charted a new course in international relations with his pursuit of an independent foreign policy which means moving strongly and swiftly towards regional economic rebalancing for closer integration in Asia,” said Andanar. The Philippines is forging closer ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan, and South Korea.
And as the President “walked the extra mile for peace,” he also made the country’s economic growth the fastest among emerging Asian economies and lowered unemployment to its lowest level in more than a decade, Andanar added. (Elena L. Aben)
