On April 10, Manila Bulletin published the article “Bong Go: 9 out of 10 of Duterte’s campaign promises have been satisfied” where Sen. Cristopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go claimed that President Rodrigo Duterte fulfilled most of his campaign promises when he was still running for president in 2016.

Go said that Duterte accomplished his promises on peace and order, infrastructure development, poverty reduction, and the fight against corruption. The senator, however, did not provide details to support his claim, and instead said that the Filipino public have all witnessed the president’s achievements.

CLAIM:

Duterte successfully kept 9 out of 10 campaign promises  

RATING:

FALSE

FACTS:  

In 2016, Duterte made ‘plenty’ of promises along the campaign trail. While Sen. Go claimed that “9 out of 10 promises were fulfilled,” the senator did not actually list down the 10 promises he mentioned, but instead focused on discussing points about (1) peace and order, (2) infrastructure development, (3) poverty reduction and (4) the fight against corruption.

On peace and order, Duterte vowed to pursue a political settlement with the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) through the resumption of the peace negotiation with the group. However, early into his presidency, the peace negotiations collapsed, and the Duterte administration has from that point on steered towards arresting and killing NDF peace consultants. The government even officially designated the CPP-NPA-NDF as ‘terrorists,’ and in time declaring an “all-out war” against the CPP-NPA-NDF.

On infrastructure development, Duterte initially promised to deliver 119 ‘big ticket’ projects, under his Build, Build, Build (BBB) program. Research firm Pantheon Macroeconomics, however, noted that “the administration has failed to achieve its ambitious targets.” BBB chief implementer, public works Undersecretary Emil Sadain admitted that only 18 – barely a fifth of the 119 initial flagship projects of BBB – will be delivered before Duterte’s term ends.

On poverty reduction, Duterte released “AmBisyon 2040,” his government’s economic program aimed at reducing the poverty rate to 14% by 2022. However, even the government’s chief economist, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, have already admitted that the 14% target is an “unachievable goal.” Instead of mitigating poverty, the number of poor Filipinos has in fact grew by 3.9 million to 26.1 million individuals between the first semester of 2018 and the first semester of 2021, according to IBON Foundation.

On the anti-corruption drive, Duterte promised that he will not condone “even a whiff” of corruption. However, several corruption scandals have rocked the Duterte administration, including the multi-billion Pharmally controversy which involved the overpricing of personal protective equipment procured by the government at the height of the COVID-`9 pandemic. Eventually, Duterte backpedaled and said that “corruption is endemic in the government.” On the 2021 Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, the Philippines scored a “historic low,” ranking 117th out of 180 countries.

Moreover, the Duterte administration has also failed to fulfill his other well-known campaign promises including ending “endo” and reclaiming the West Philippine Sea.

WHY IT MATTERS: 

At the height of the campaign season, it is not only important to consider the campaign promises foisted by current candidates, but also to review how the current administration has fared, vis-a-vis the promises it made during the campaign trail in the previous elections. Public statements praising an administration’s so-called achievements, like that issued by an incumbent senator, must be properly investigated, as it involves matters of public interest and can also directly affect how voters choose their next set of leaders. – Vanessa Adolfo and Jamaica Marciano

Altermidya Network is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, email info@factsfirst.ph. 

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