ASEANEWS HEADLINE – The Daily Tribune – Thursday, February 22, 2018 – ‘Duterte ganged up anew thru US report’

ROQUE: MYOPIC, SPECULATIVE ASSESSMENT

In a perfect example of an inflated issue against President Duterte, local and international media which are mostly critical of the Philippine leader, highlighted a one-paragraph mention of him in an eight-page global threat report of the US Intelligence Community, saying that the report considered Mr. Duterte “a threat to democracy and human rights” which Malacañang rejected.

The report mentioned Mr. Duterte only once and it did not specifically name him as a threat.

“In the Philippines, President Duterte will continue to wage his signature campaign against drugs, corruption, and crime. Duterte has suggested he could suspend the Constitution, declare a ‘revolutionary government,’ and impose nationwide martial law. His declaration of martial law in Mindanao, responding to the Islamic State (IS)-inspired siege of Marawi City, has been extended through the end of 2018,” the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community report said.
Mr. Duterte’s chief critic Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said the US intelligence report should be treated by the Duterte administration as a warning.

“There’s a creeping dictatorship. Now this assessment by the intelligence community of the United States government is basically telling Mr. Duterte that there is a red line that you are close to crossing,” Trillanes said in an interview on Cable Channel ANC’s “Early Edition.”

Malacañang rejected the report’s assessment as “myopic and speculative at best.”
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Mr. Duterte is far from becoming a despot despite his patented fiery rhetoric and his claim of being a “dictator.”
“President Duterte is no autocrat or has autocratic tendencies. He adheres to the rule of law and remains loyal to the Constitution,” he added.

The Palace official insisted that the democracy still works well under the Duterte administration contrary to views that he is a tyrant.
“An autocracy is not prevalent, as they would like everyone to believe. Our media are still able to broadcast and print what they want—’fake news’ included,” Roque said.
“Our judiciary and the courts are functioning as usual. Our legislature remains independent and basic services are still being delivered,” he added.

The Worldwide Threat Assessment report released last February 13, included Mr. Duterte in its Asian “regional threats” list which also included Cambodian leader Hun Sen, Myanmar officials over their treatment of Rohingya refugees and the Thai government’s militarization.
Roque also slammed the reports assessment that the Duterte administration is actively using social media as a propaganda too;.
“I don’t know of any government in the free world which does not use the internet and social media to promote its agenda,” Roque said.
“This is very true especially in the case of the US. This latest intelligence assessment is a classic case in point,” he added.
Not too friendly friend
Roque viewed the report as an indication that the United States is “not too friendly” despite the Philippines considering the Western power a “friend.”
“We like to be friends with the United States. But with declarations such as this, it is very difficult to be friendly with the United States,” Roque said.
“This is something that we’re taking very seriously. It’s coming from the intelligence community. It’s not even coming from the state department. It’s something that the president will take seriously as well,” he said.

Citing a Freedom House report, the US intel report also listed the Philippines as one of the governments that use propaganda and misinformation in social media “to influence foreign and domestic audiences.”
Roque acknowledged that the administration uses social media to promote government messages and accomplishments, but noted that the opposition and other cause-oriented groups do the same.

“We have to understand the use of social media has become an important part of the daily lives of Filipinos,” Roque said describing it “foolhardy” not to tap social media as a tool.
In an earlier TV interview, Roque, a human rights advocate, said that he would not join Duterte’s Cabinet if the President, a lawyer himself, was a threat to human rights.

“He’s a lawyer. He knows the law. He wants to uphold the rule of law. He knows about the bill of rights. And of course I wouldn’t have joined him if he was a threat to human rights,” Roque said.
Duterte has previously criticized the US for expressing concern over his aggressive campaign against illegal drugs, noting that he would not take orders from the country’s former colonizer. / Written by  Ted Tuvera  / Thursday, 22 February 2018 00:00

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