President Rodrigo Duterte, who less than two months left before he vacates Malacañang, has two pieces of advice for his successor—support the military and the police to effectively deal with communist insurgents and continue the fight against corruption.
The uniformed personnel, he said, are aware that they run the risk of being accused of violating human rights.
But for as long as they do their duties, the police and the military should enjoy the full support of the commander-in-chief.
“When you go out and hunt them down, that is your duty as a law enforcement officer or a military—fighting the rebels. Don’t be afraid when there is a case,” he said.
Duterte said the next chief executive has the Anti-Terrorism Law in the continuing fight against communist rebellion.
He likewise advised the next President to just “stick with the rules” and continue the fight against corruption.
“For the president who will succeed me in a matter of days, the president just sticks [to the rules]. There are rules everywhere to be followed. Just follow the rule,” he said.
Duterte will end his six-year-term with high approval and trust ratings – a “rarity in Philippine presidential politics” according to PUBLiCUS Asia.
In PUBLiCUS’ March 30 to April 6 survey, Duterte logged approval and trust scores of 67.2 percent and 61.2 percent, respectively.
In a separate survey conducted by OCTA Research on March 5 to 10, Duterte emerged as the most appreciated and trusted official among top government officials, with a satisfaction rating of 67 percent and a trust rating of 69 percent.