CEBU CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte won big in Cebu last May 9 with 1.1 million votes from the city and province.
Weeks later, Duterte delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Manila on July 25.
Students at the University of San Carlos, here in Cebu, watched his 100-minute speech at the canteen of the Talamban campus. Other viewing locations were also set up at two of the university's other campuses'.
"I hoped Duterte would address the droughts," Norch Van Honoridez, an electronics engineering student said. He said that he was interested in the "measures Duterte's taking" to lessen crime rates as well.
Jamil Adiong, a political science student from Mindanao who is studying at the university, said he was happy the President addressed peace issues.
"He was passionate to talk about the struggles in Mindanao, especially in the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)," Adiong said.
Defending Gina Lopez
He also pointed out how protecting the environment was a major focus of the speech: "I like how he repeated his concerns for the environment, even mentioning Secretary Gina Lopez, who I really look up to."
Lopez, an anti-mining advocate, was the managing director of the ABS-CBN foundation prior to her appointment as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Duterte mentioned Lopez several times during his SONA and defended her from criticism.
"She's just doing her job. You know, she's a crusader," Duterte said.
Authentic speech
Shad Quiñones, a cinematography student, said that he wanted to hear Duterte speak about the upcoming youth and barangay elections.
"He didn't say anything about the SK (Sangguniang Kabataan)," Quiñones said, "but I'm happy to know the president really cares."
While analysts critized his speech for being long-winding and disorganized, Quiñones thought the speech showed his authenticty.
"May essence talaga (You can feel his esssence)," Quiñones said.
"You can tell he really cares, like making processing times shorter for passport applications, and making it valid for a longer period of time," he cited as an example.
“What the hell happened to the procedure?” Duterte said during his speech.
He vowed to go after inefficient officials: "Local, barangay, police, military, everyone. Give them a shopping list and don't make them come back, because if they call the 8888 hotline, and I see that the grievance is valid, watch out. Not enough time? I will see you in your office." – Rappler.com