Duterte isn't man of the people, group says

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte isn’t the man of the people as he wants the public to see him, a cause-oriented group said on Monday, slamming his policies on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers, closure of tourist spots and transport modernization.

 

Tindig Pilipinas, in a statement, denounced the tough-talking Duterte’s roughshod approach to solving problems especially because of the inflationary effects of the first package of the government’s tax reform law, which took effect on the first day of 2018.

 

The group said that the worst impact on people’s livelihood could be seen among residents of Boracay, which Duterte called a “cesspool” for the environmental degradation spawned by rapid development and non-observance of environmental laws.

 

Tindig Pilipinas said that Duterte’s order to shut the popular tourist island for several months was meant to displace legitimate business owners who had complied with national and local regulations with a Chinese gambling conglomerate.

 

Three Philippine secretaries recommended the total closure of the island destination for a maximum of a year to allow the rehabilitation and recovery of Boracay’s environment.

 

However, just days after the proposal was floated, it emerged that two resorts would be established in Boracay, one by Resorts World and another by Macau’s Galaxy.

 

“This will not solve Boracay’s environmental issues,” said the group, a coalition of social movements and politicians, some of whom have close ties to the previous administration.

 

“(I)t is merely wanting to displace legitimate business owners who have complied with all the regulations set by the government both national and local, with a Chinese gambling conglomerate,” the group added.

 

Tindig Pilipinas also slammed Duterte’s order to halt the deployment of Filipinos to Kuwait, following a rising number of reports of abuse by employers, and his transport modernization policy, which aims to remove from Philippine roads old jeepneys, the primary mode of transportation among Filipinos.

 

The group said that Duterte did not really care about ordinary people but only for himself, his allies and family.

 

“Duterte is not the man of the people he has portrayed himself to be. He doesn't care for anyone but himself, his Chinese masters, his cronies and his family,” Tindig Pilipinas said.

 

The Philippines and China, along with several other nations, are locked in a territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, through which $5 trillion worth of trade passes annually.

 

After years of frosty relations under former President Benigno Aquino III, Manila and Beijing have forged warmer ties under Duterte in an effort to court Chinese money and investments to the country’s developing economy.

 

Critics have labeled him a Chinese lackey for his sympathetic stance toward China and his failure to assert more aggressively Philippine claims to the West Philippine Sea.