Palace Communications Secretary Martin Andanar claimed President Rodrigo Duterte made five campaign promises. Wrong.
He also claimed all but one have been fulfilled. Also wrong.
STATEMENT
In his weekly Cabinet report aired Jan. 5 at state radio DZRB, Andanar said:
“Apat na po sa mga pangako ng pangulo ay naipatupad niya. Isa na lang ang hindi. Iyon na lang… Federalism (Four of the president’s promises have already been fulfilled. There’s only one left. That’s it. Federalism).”
Source: Radyo Pilipinas, Cabinet Report sa Teleradyo with Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar and Guest Cabinet Secretaries by Leo Palo, Jan. 5, 2018, watch from 46:06 – 48:09
Andanar said Duterte already fulfilled four of five campaign promises: addressing criminality and drugs, fighting corruption, lowering the poverty rate and fixing the country’s peace and order situation.
FACT
Candidate Duterte made more than five campaign promises.
On Jan. 8, 2016, Duterte and running mate Alan Peter Cayetano “unveiled their platform of government” before some 5,000 people in Cebu City, according to a Senate press release.
Their promises:
- Wage a 24/7 war against crime, corruption and drugs
- Increase salaries of police personnel
- Re-impose the death penalty for drug trafficking and other heinous crimes
- Establish Federalism as a form of government and boost regional development
- Transfer the Department of Tourism to Cebu
- Create more tourism estates
- Construct specialty hospitals in Visayas and Mindanao, “similar to the Heart Center, Lung Center, Kidney Center, Orthopedic Center, Children’s Hospital, and Cancer Research and Treatment Center, which are all based in Metro Manila.”
- Phase out labor ‘contractualization’
- Double salaries of public school teachers
- Provide living wage to workers
- Expand scholarship grants to the youth through the Iskolar ng Bayan program
Duterte also made several other promises in his various campaign speeches and during the three pre-election presidential debates.
These include creating a bank specifically for overseas Filipino workers, distributing coco levy funds to farmers, promoting family planning to prevent overpopulation, easing Metro Manila’s traffic congestion, providing free irrigation to farmers, and building new railways.
These campaign promises have been widely reported in the media: Inquirer.net compiled at least 30, Rappler identified 13 and CNN Philippines listed 10 promises.
VERA Files’ SONA Promise Tracker followed how Duterte fared in his promises.
Andanar claiming the president already delivered on four promises is also inaccurate.
On addressing drugs and criminality
Duterte on several instances said that his war on drugs and criminality will continue until the last day of his term, breaking his campaign promise of finishing it in three to six months. (See VERA FILES FACT CHECK: In his own words: Duterte’s drug war, so far)
On fighting corruption
The president recently sacked members of his Cabinet due to “unnecessary junkets.” Yet members of the anti-corruption commission he created in haste last October 2017 were only appointed on Jan. 12. It is headed by Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption Chair Dante Jimenez. (See VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Anti-graft body not in operation five months since Duterte’s urgent vow)
On lowering the poverty rate
Andanar claimed the president committed to lower the poverty rate “from 24 percent to 14 percent.”
“Nakita natin, 21 percent na iyong poverty rate ng ating bansa (We can see now that the country’s poverty rate is at 21 percent),” he said.
The 21 percent poverty incidence for basic sectors was recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2015, a year before Duterte became president.
On fixing the country’s peace and order situation
Congress in December granted the president’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao. The president said an extension would help law enforcement agencies “quell completely and put an end to the on-going rebellion in Mindanao and prevent the same from escalating to other parts of the country.”
In November, he terminated peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front- and in December declared the group a terrorist organization.
Sources:
Senate of the Philippines, Duterte-Cayetano launch platform and nationwide listening tour, January 8, 2016
CNN Philippines, Did Duterte keep or break his promises?,. March 29, 2017
Rappler, SONA 2016: The Duterte promise tracker, July 24, 2016
Inquirer.net, DU30’s 30 promises, 2016
Inquirer.net, Duterte appoints Dante Jimenez as Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, January 15, 2018
Philstar.com, VACC’s Dante Jimenez named chair of anti-graft commission, January 15, 2018
ABS-CBNNews.com, Duterte appoints VACC’s Dante Jimenez to anti-corruption body, January 15, 2018
Philippine Statistics Authority, Farmers, Fishermen and Children consistently posted the highest poverty incidence among basic sectors – PSA, June 30, 2017
Official Gazette, Proclamation No. 374
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative.)
