Palace on Duterte's 2 years: Much has been accomplished, much more needs to be done

Malacañang on Sunday assessed the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration after two years in office, and said much has already been accomplished.

"The first two years of the Duterte administration has generally been fruitful. Much has been accomplished but much more needs to be done," the Palace said in a statement.

"It is a continuous work in progress in achieving and actualizing the promise of genuine and meaningful change for the Filipino people," the statement said.

When it comes to his promises of real change, Duterte has fulfilled most of them, the Palace said.

“I have witnessed firsthand the President’s hard work, dedication and sense of duty. Major promises have materialized because we are headed by someone who has strong political will, decisive leadership and compassion for his fellowmen," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

The Palace cited the Duterte administration's success in its war on drugs, its economic feats, and the improvement of government services.

War on drugs

The campaign against illegal drugs is "one of the cornerstones of his administration," the Palace said.

From July 2016 to March 20, 2018, a total of 91,704 anti-drug operations were conducted, resulting in the arrest of 123,648 drug suspects, according to data from the Philippine National Police.

A total of 189 drug dens and clandestine drug laboratories were dismantled. Government forces also seized P13.46 billion worth of shabu and P19.67 billion worth of drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals, and laboratory equipment, the Palace said.

It added that 6,462 barangays have been declared drug-free according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Economy

The Palace said the country's economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia after its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 6.7 percent in 2017, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The current target for 2018 is for the GDP to grow by 7 to 8 percent, the Office of the Press Secretary said.

Revenues from tax collections reached P2.251 trillion in 2017, according to the Department of Finance, "the highest tax effort in 10 years prior to the introduction of new laws," the statement read.

There were also P195.7 billion worth of investment approvals for January to April 2018, which is 28 percent higher than the P153.1 billion figure during the same period last year, the Board of Investments reported. This means investors' confidence in the Philippines remains high, the Palace said.

Foreign direct investments, meanwhile, reached US$2.2 billion for January to March 2018, higher by 43.5 percent from the US$1.5 billion in the same period last year, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed.

The Palace said billions worth of investments have also been generated through Duterte's state and official visits in the past months, which will lead to thousands of jobs.

Government services

Among the promises of Duterte that were fulfilled was the launching of the Overseas Filipino Bank, the Palace said. The bank is a wholly-owned savings bank subsidiary of the LandBank that will service overseas Filipino workers.

The Palace also cited the signing of Republic Act No. 1031 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act which has paved the way for 1.3 million students to avail of free tuition and miscellaneous fees in state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges beginning school year 2018-2019.

The Free Irrigation Service Act or Republic Act No. 10969 signed in February 2018 is another promise of Duterte that has been fulfilled, the Palace said. This law ensures free irrigation services for poor farmers.

Duterte has said he wanted swifter implementation of Build, Build, Build, the government's infrastructure program. The Palace said 35 infrastructure flagship projects have been approved by the National Economic and Development Authority, of which 16 are expected to be completed by 2022. 

Foreign visitor arrivals also increased to 642,757 in March, the Department of Tourism reported. This is higher than the 574,065 arrivals recorded in the same period last year. The total foreign visitor arrivals for the first quarter of 2018 reached 2,049,094, higher by 14.8 percent over the 1,784,882 recorded in the first quarter of 2017.

The Palace also said 93 Republic Acts have been signed into law by Duterte in his two years in office.

Among the laws signed include those extending the validity of passports to 10 years and driver's licenses to five years, providing free internet access in public places, and increasing penalties for hospitals and medical clinics that decline to deliver appropriate treatment and support in emergency or serious cases.

Support Duterte

Roque asked for the public's continued support for Duterte.

“The President cannot do it alone. No man or woman can do it alone. Let us help the Chief Executive fulfill his goal of building a nation where opportunities abound and where citizens are empowered to realize their aspirations,” he said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, however, in assessing the Duterte administration's drive against criminality and illegal drugs after its second year, on Sunday said much focus has been given to "crime suppression" rather than "crime prevention" in its war against criminality and illegal drugs.

Lacson, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, said that crime prevention is more important than suppression, which is supposed to be the last resort. 

Generally, he said that the campaign's intention is okay, but the approach overly focuses on suppression. —KG, GMA News