When Rodrigo Duterte was elected president, he said he would undergo a metamorphosis once he was sworn in as leader of the land. He was referring to his penchant for cursing and for tough talk. He gave us the impression that he would tone down his language and behave in a more presidential manner, befitting his high office.
We thought his inaugural address gave us a glimpse of what was to come. The 15-minute speech was honest and to the point, and it complemented well what appeared to be Mr. Duterte’s clear grasp of the ills hounding the nation, ills he sought to address.
We were mistaken.
Nearing his 100-day mark, it seems any changes in the demeanor of the President came in the form of ramped-up rhetoric, not only against his political opponents but against the international community.
He cursed United States President Barack Obama and called United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a fool. Both men had criticized Duterte’s manner of implementing his war against illegal drugs. Since Mr. Duterte assumed office in June, over 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed—and more bodies are turning up every day.
This week, he expanded his reach to the European Union, which he said was scolding him as if he were its subordinate. The EU had called on the Duterte administration to “put an end to the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings,” and had expressed alarm over the “extraordinarily high numbers killed during police operations.”
On Tuesday, during a speech, Mr. Duterte told the EU “F**k you” while making an obscene gesture with his finger.
This has gone beyond politics.
The stock exchange—in both the general decline in stock prices and in the net fund outflow—this week reflected what could be investors’ growing uncertainty over the President’s rhetoric. Market analysts say both long- and short-term investors see the President’s behavior as disruptive, potentially affecting economic and business policy.
Mr. Duterte also said he did not care about the opinion of credit rating services, like Moody’s, Fitch and Standard and Poor’s, which rate the Philippines’ attractiveness as a borrower. Moody’s had said in a statement that “increasingly controversial law and order policies could exact an opportunity cost for reform.”
We have no doubt that Mr. Duterte has the country’s best interest in mind. The policies he pursues—even if we don’t agree with all of them—reflect the most effective ways he believes our national problems can be solved.
We object, however, to his propensity to rant and to speak like a thug.
President Duterte’s aversion to criticism and his vicious response to anybody who does not agree with him will become his undoing. His closest, most trusted advisers need not effect the metamorphosis they once promised. That may be too late, given the President’s age and temperament. By at least tempering his speeches, however, Mr. Duterte can come off as less unhinged—and a lot more credible.