September 1 - 15, 2016
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
durianrepublic
by JJ Atencio
President Duterte is just
being himself.
I must admit some
ambivalence in writing about
the President at this time of the
traditional 100-day honeymoon
period, when he is trying to forge
a new government. As of late,
there are still no appointments
for new heads of key housing
agencies,
except
for
the
appointment of VP Leni Robredo
as HUDCC Chair. It makes me
wonder if housing is a major
interest of this Administration.
You know, it’s not easy
to form a Cabinet, specially in
his case of a southern-based
local government official, with
admittedly limited connections
to the political and economic
mainstream, who is suddenly
catapulted to the highest position
of the land. He has to make do
with what he’s got. And so he
needs all the help he can get.
Of course, we should not at all
be surprised that his first cabinet
appointees are his close advisors,
friends and allies. That is not the
change we are talking about.
First and foremost, he needs
people around him that he can
trust. That they are competent
is also important. I look forward
to the communist-endorsed
secretaries. We actually had a few
leftists in the cabinet during the
past
administrations, but the public
just didn’t know it.
Now, on one hand, I can
honestly say that beyond his
campaign for change, he is the
actual em