The Nation under a Strong Leader

The Philippines was once compared to a beggar sitting on a mountain of gold.

This analogy from the point of view of foreign political and economic critics is a

metaphor for abundant resources yet to be discovered and to be utilized for the good of

the countless Filipinos whose income are not enough to sustain a decent living. Leaders

with different advocacies and political platforms come and go but the Philippines remain

a third world country waiting for foreign aids in exchange for the exploitation of its

natural resources and manpower. Young professionals and skilled Filipinos

continuously sought for a greener pasture for better living and better future. The

diasporic appetite has caused the dispersion of Filipinos worldwide believing that the

Philippines will never rise up to fame as she surpasses political and economic turmoil

brought by corruption, terrorism, illegal drugs proliferation, poverty and political unrest

but all of these have taught the common people deeper lessons on the economic and

political downsides of ones failure to support the government by being a law abiding

citizen and by doing ones duty to make better homes which in turn contributory

towards the creation of peaceful and progressive communities. This country only needs

a leader who has an iron hand but can feel the plight of its citizens from all walks of life,

one who is sincere enough to advocate reforms to everyone even if it means depriving

himself of the intoxicating and alluring spell of power of a nations highest leader. One

who asserts an independent foreign policy which is free from foreign dominion and

manipulation. These leadership qualities have been manifested by our president who

recently denounced the U.S intervention on the political and economic affairs of third

world countries like the Philippines as if they know better than the citizens of these
countries. This act impedes the growth of our culture, economy, education and the arts

and the morals of the young generation because the country cannot exercise its

sovereignty as an independent state. The Presidents move to decide on its own as

regards to the political and economic concerns of the country is a good start for the

Filipinos to be respected as resilient, innovative and skilled individuals who can

dominate the workplace in the international scene given the gift of good governance,

cultural integrity, cooperation and understanding.

The issue that I am going to raise is whether or not the Philippines can attain

inclusive growth, high trust and resilient society, and globally competitive knowledge

economy by 2022 given the recent happenings. Dutertes first year as President earned

the trust of the business community and the government sector particularly the

uniformed service. His Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 is the first

medium term plan to be anchored on a national long-term vision, or ambisyon natin

2040, which represents the collective vision and aspirations of Filipinos for themselves

and for the country. This PDP also takes off from the Administrations 0-10 point socio-

economic agenda and is informed by inputs from the cross-section of stakeholders and

the general public. As identified in the PDP , growth in domestic product is expected to

strengthen at 7 to 8 percent in the medium term. Growth is also expected to be more

inclusive, where overall poverty rate is targeted to decline from 21.6 percent to 14

percent, and poverty incidence in rural areas to decrease from 30 percent in 2015 to 20

percent in 2022. The government also identified in the PDP its target of reducing

unemployment rate from the current 5.5 percent to 3 to 5 percent by 2022. Included

among the targets, also, are higher trust in the government and society, more resilient
individuals and communities, and a greater drive for innovation. These targets may

sound unattainable but the president has started going after the tax evaders who owe

the government millions if not billions of taxes that shall be utilized to construct farm to

market roads, create small medium scale business for poor families, send poor but

deserving children to Universities. He mentioned the sincerity of the government to ran

after these tax evaders to provide employment and reduce the gap between the rich

and the poor. His firmness to help the countless poor including CPP NPA and the

Kadamay was very evident in his State of the Nation Address as he gained the respect

of the investors and the majority of the Filipinos despite of the Marawi Crisis. Every

Filipino knows by heart that Duterte may be brutally frank but he is one with his people

just like a father who bears all the pain when his children suffer or die in the hands of

lawless elements. His declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao was an appropriate

respond to the seemingly establishment of Isis sanctuary in South East Asia by taking

Mindanao before building a caliphate in the Philippines just like what happen to Iraq and

Syria. Duterte is man enough to send the government troops to overthrow the Maute

before the whole Mindanao will be overruled by the foreign terrorists. Now, we are

winning the war and the President earned the admiration of world leaders for having a

firm decision despite of the attempt of the leftist and his political detractors to make

publicities stating that he made the gravest mistakes.

The war in Mindanao will be the turning point of his reign as president. Foreign

political analysts claim that he is the best president to have ever handled such crisis and

the first leader to have open the eyes of every person in the world that the evil of drugs

can be defeated by cutting the vines before the roots could be finally uprooted.
Columbia and the United States failed on their war on drugs but the Philippines seem to

be winning the war on drugs despite of the extra-judicial killings that are always

associated with the policemen. Oplan Tokhang or the government front on war on drugs

may have caused the deaths of people who have alleged involvement with drugs but on

the other side of the coin it might have saved countless children from being raped and

killed by drug addicts.

I do believe that Dutertes Philippine Development Plan would only prosper if he

has to totally eradicate first what Rizal mentioned in his famous novel Noli Me Tangere

as the ills of society, the caprices and vices that put the rich into the pedestal while the

poor has to suffer. This is the problem on drugs that has to be dealt with accordingly. It

is very interesting to note that the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 is founded

on three main pillars. First is Malasakit, which aims to regain peoples trust in public

institutions and cultivate trust among fellow Filipinos. Strategies under Malasakit include

promoting awareness of anti-corruption measures, improving the productivity of the

public sector, implementing regulatory reforms, increasing access to legal aid, pursuing

corrections reform, and promoting culture-sensitive governance and development.

Second is Pagbabago, or inequality-reducing transformation through increasing

opportunities for growth of output and income.

According to Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon of NEDA Opportunities in

agriculture will be expanded. We will increase our presence in the global market, and

we will streamline bureaucratic processes for both local and foreign businesses, Also

under this pillar strategies such as achieving quality and accessible basic education for
all, enhancing disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) mechanisms, and

adopting universal social protection will be pursued.

Third, Patuloy na Pag-unlad concentrates on increasing potential growth through

sustaining and accelerating economic growth, this will be done by maximizing the

demographic dividend and vigorously advancing science, technology and innovation.

Meanwhile, under these three pillars lie four cross-cutting bedrock strategies,

which are, (1) attaining just and lasting peace, (2) ensuring security, public order and

safety, (3) accelerating strategic infrastructure development, and (4) ensuring ecological

integrity and a clean and healthy environment.

Furthermore, to set the direction for future growth, the PDP 2017-2022 espouses

a National Spatial Strategy (NSS), recognizing that population, geography, and cities

are engines of economic growth. The NSS was adopted to identify specific strategies

and policies in order to decongest Metro Manila, connect rural areas to key growth

areas, and to improve linkages between settlements for higher resilience against natural

disasters.

The PDP 2017-2022 also gives special attention to Overseas Filipinos (OFs) and

their families. It identifies strategies and policies that will work to protect the rights of

overseas Filipinos, improve their quality of life, and integrate them into the countrys

development.

Overall, the strength of the Dutertes administration which are keys towards

attaining the Philippine Development Plan where inclusive growth, high trust, resilient

society and globally competitive knowledge economy is the loyalty of the AFP and PNP
to him being the Commander in Chief to include the government employees who always

stand by him whenever the leftist or his political detractors put color to his speech and

actions. His educational reforms to name it, free college education in State Universities

and Colleges will no longer submerge the poor families into the quagmire of poverty,

those who has less in life has much to receive from the government. Furthermore, the

K+12 which was fully supported by the President will make our graduates at par with

their counterpart in Asia. Thus, making our graduates competitive enough to compete

for jobs internationally. His financial aids, negosyo program, infrastructure projects,

agricultural programs and moral recovery programs are sufficient enough to build a

human capital which is resilient enough to withstand the challenges of Asias

integration. The war on corruption and environmental nemesis are also key elements

towards the attainment of a globally competitive knowledge economy before 2022

because more resources will be allotted on protecting the environment, education,

Infrastructure and Armed Forces which are vital in the making of a strong and

competitive nation we consider as ours.