A report card if Malacañang calls for President Rodrigo Duterte’s last State of the Nation Address on Monday, which is said to be centered on the administration’s achievements.
But for Duterte, he will just let the people judge his achievements.
“All I want the people is to just look around. Ito, ‘yong ganito. Hindi ko ipagyabang. Unang-una, hindi ko ito pera. That’s not my money,” said Duterte.
“I will just mention what the projects completed without necessarily attributing the miracle to me were. Worker ako ng government. Nagtrabaho lang ako. So wala akong dapat ipagyabang,” he added.
According to Dennis Coronacion, professor of political science at the University of Santo Tomas, Duterte is expected to weigh in on the last 5 years of his administration and how it met the promises made when he took office.
“The President should be able to tell us, during his final SONA, kung ano ang tingin niya sa kaniyang mga nagawa, especially ‘yong pinangako niya noong 2016 sa campaign,” said Coronacion.
What to expect in Duterte’s last SONA
According to the professor, the last SONA is also a good opportunity for Duterte to explain decisions on controversial programs and policies.
One of these is the bloody war on drugs, which is set to be investigated by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for alleged killings and abuses.
But for Malacañang, Duterte has nothing to explain.
“The people have spoken… Sa lahat po ng surveys, hindi po bumaba ang trust rating. Hindi po bumaba ang satisfaction rating ng ating mga kababayan sa kaniya,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
In the last SONA, Duterte is also expected to lay out the priorities for the remaining one year in office.
“Hindi po natin alam ang magiging papel sa kasaysayan ng Presidente, but his legacy will be dictated by this pandemic response,” said Roque.
Aside from the pandemic, Duterte is also expected to discuss the fight against corruption and illegal drugs.
Moreover, Coronacion hopes that Duterte will do what he should have done at the very beginning of his administration: call for national unity.
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