VERA Files
President Rodrigo Duterte, expressing grave disappointment that corruption and the drug problem continue despite the government’s relentless campaigns to stop them, has asked the public’s help by being more assertive in fighting these crimes.
President Rodrigo Duterte, now at the midway mark of his six-year term, will deliver his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22 having made good on many of his promises last year, but also carrying with him some big misses.
President Rodrigo Duterte has not mentioned his promises related to the media since his first State of the Nation Address in 2016.
President Rodrigo Duterte fulfilled the crux of his peace agenda, as promised in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA): the signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to “finally end the decades-old conflict that is rooted in the Bangsamoro’s fight for self-determination and the recognition of their unique identity.”
Halfway into his term, President Rodrigo Duterte’s relationship with the military remains strong as ever, with the commander-in-chief promising to take responsibility for consequences in the execution of their missions such as that on the war on drugs and insurgency.
To eradicate illegal drugs in three to six months and to lower criminality was a campaign promise, and became the centerpiece of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Entering the second half of his presidency, he has repeatedly promised this in all of his three State of the Nation Addresses. It is a promise still in progress.
Of the promises President Duterte made during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) related to the protection and preservation of the environment, he achieved but one – the ban on open-pit mining. Those that pertain to the restoration and rehabilitation of the country’s tourist destinations remain in-progress. Where he failed, however, was to deliver on the laws for land use, and the creation of a disaster agency.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s government marks the first half of his term with the fulfillment of one of its biggest promises — to provide “quality health services” for all, through the passage of a comprehensive universal healthcare law.
Ridding the government of corrupt officials remains one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s noteworthy promises since taking office.
The government’s P9-trillion Build, Build, Build program is now halfway to “revolutionizing” public infrastructures in the country, according to Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar.