Hitting the ground running
Hitting the ground running
By BENJIE OLIVEROS
Bulatlat perspective
The incoming administration of presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte Jr. declared that it would hit the ground running. And it appears that they would be true to their word. Already, Duterte and his team have begun showing its policy directions through its position on issues, some of which are alarming and some laudable.
First, it has outlined an eight-point economic agenda. This has, most probably, assured the business community but it has drawn criticisms from progressives for its consistent adherence to the neoliberal framework, which may have generated economic growth but has failed to build a solid foundation for the economy, and has excluded the poor majority.
Second, the incoming Duterte administration has put outgoing president Benigno Aquino III and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to task for losing Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands to China. Duterte has accused Sen. Trillanes of holding 16 secret meetings with Chinese officials, which, Duterte said, resulted in China confirming the weak defense capability of the Philippines thereby, emboldening the former to aggressively assert its claims. For this, Duterte’s team charged both Trillanes and Aquino with treason. This indicates that the incoming Duterte administration would not allow the country’s sovereignty to be trampled upon.
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