This Al Jazeera profile of Duterte sent chills down my spine. The implication is that rule of law and due process may go by the wayside. Now values of transparency and are fairly weak in much of the Philippines and stories of police abuse manifold, but I do not know that they extend to "death squads," which bring back memories of the dark days of martial law.
I am not going to get on a high horse and suggest that you can effect change in a country as corrupt and inefficient as the Philippines easily. But to clean up corruption in the government in 3-6 months? That would take a declaration of martial law, because nearly everyone is implicated. I can easily see things spiraling out of control into grudge matches, with those aspects of the government system that work the inevitable collateral.
Maybe the democratic institutions of the Philippines are enough to keep a strong man contained and working to productively eliminate corruption. God knows that on time EMT response and quality medical care is a worthy aim. Zoom-in security cameras everywhere.? As any reader of Arisugawa Park can tell you, not my thing.
The issue of the rebels in Mindanao and Duterte's concept of quasi-autonomous federal states is one I wholeheartedly endorse. What is going on in Mindanao is all about resources, mining, and exploitation––not the strictly religious Muslim/Catholic schism, as it is understood by many. It is no accident that the Canadian recently taken from a beach resort and beheaded was a mining company executive.
My most recent fb comment:
"Someone asked me why Poe instead of Duterte in the upcoming Philippine national election.
Because Grace Poe seems like she has practical aims that are not based on too much bias and hyperbole. And this is critical in rebalancing the system––which, if actually accomplished, will hurt a lot of butts used to living large.
Duterte, there is no question he has been a very effective law enforcer. But this is completely different from assuring that money that belongs to the citizens is being used in the most productive, fair, and equitable way.
By setting as an example someone who uses blunt force to get things done, you are setting the stage for authority abuse that could result in non-democratic tendencies coming to the fore. Especially at local levels, as leaders are influenced by the message from the top.
Democracy may be messy, but it is better than the alternative. I don't really think that someone who says he would have his son shot for using drugs, rather than speaking about rehabilitation and providing hope to youth through job creation programs is moving on the most positive track.
Wikipedia says of Poe that her major aims are: "labor legislative agenda - more opportunities, skill development and growth for Filipino workers, employment security for the disabled and handicapped, and protection of workers in the informal sector. Specific policies she advocated in the course of her campaign include reviving the national elementary school lunch program."
I would rather have this type of practical agenda at the fore, than hyperbolic stories of cleaning up the gutter."
I am not going to get on a high horse and suggest that you can effect change in a country as corrupt and inefficient as the Philippines easily. But to clean up corruption in the government in 3-6 months? That would take a declaration of martial law, because nearly everyone is implicated. I can easily see things spiraling out of control into grudge matches, with those aspects of the government system that work the inevitable collateral.
Maybe the democratic institutions of the Philippines are enough to keep a strong man contained and working to productively eliminate corruption. God knows that on time EMT response and quality medical care is a worthy aim. Zoom-in security cameras everywhere.? As any reader of Arisugawa Park can tell you, not my thing.
The issue of the rebels in Mindanao and Duterte's concept of quasi-autonomous federal states is one I wholeheartedly endorse. What is going on in Mindanao is all about resources, mining, and exploitation––not the strictly religious Muslim/Catholic schism, as it is understood by many. It is no accident that the Canadian recently taken from a beach resort and beheaded was a mining company executive.
My most recent fb comment:
"Someone asked me why Poe instead of Duterte in the upcoming Philippine national election.
Because Grace Poe seems like she has practical aims that are not based on too much bias and hyperbole. And this is critical in rebalancing the system––which, if actually accomplished, will hurt a lot of butts used to living large.
Duterte, there is no question he has been a very effective law enforcer. But this is completely different from assuring that money that belongs to the citizens is being used in the most productive, fair, and equitable way.
By setting as an example someone who uses blunt force to get things done, you are setting the stage for authority abuse that could result in non-democratic tendencies coming to the fore. Especially at local levels, as leaders are influenced by the message from the top.
Democracy may be messy, but it is better than the alternative. I don't really think that someone who says he would have his son shot for using drugs, rather than speaking about rehabilitation and providing hope to youth through job creation programs is moving on the most positive track.
Wikipedia says of Poe that her major aims are: "labor legislative agenda - more opportunities, skill development and growth for Filipino workers, employment security for the disabled and handicapped, and protection of workers in the informal sector. Specific policies she advocated in the course of her campaign include reviving the national elementary school lunch program."
I would rather have this type of practical agenda at the fore, than hyperbolic stories of cleaning up the gutter."
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