(First of three parts)
Despite being down to his last days in office, President Duterte continued to be one of the country's biggest newsmakers of 2021 as he faced issues from becoming a social media trending topic to the country's pandemic response.
Social media trends
President Duterte trended in social media this year following a video where he was seen celebrating his birthday with his family in Davao City in March. However, the clip became controversial after he was seen trying to touch a young lady's private part, causing her to retreat just to avoid his hand. Duterte came under fire for this, but Malacañang was quick to defend the President, saying he was just being playful.
Shortly after this incident, the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo (Where is the President) trended on social media in early April after rumors spread that he suffered a mild stroke, causing a cancellation of his weekly public address. The Palace explained that the scheduled "Talk to the People" was pushed back after some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
It also denied rumors about the President's health and said there was no need to issue a medical bulletin or a proof of work to show that he was in tip-top shape. For his part, Duterte told his critics to pray harder if they wanted him to die already.
In the same month, a Twitter user alleged that there was a Viber group composed of almost 500 members, discussing the supposed withdrawal of the military's support for the Commander-in-Chief. Malacañang was quick to deny this, saying the President was not even bothered by such rumors.
In May, the hashtag #DuterteDuwag (Duterte is a coward) trended on social media after he challenged retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio to a debate on the West Philippine Sea but later on backed out. The Palace explained that the President withdrew his challenge as his debate could have legal consequences. The President, himself, said he was not afraid of Carpio. Aside from this, Malacañang said that Duterte had nothing left to prove.
Drug war
Despite the pandemic, President Duterte's war on drugs remained a hot topic. In his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, the President said that his infamous campaign had a long way to go. He, however, reiterated that he started his drug war because of his love for the country.
During the same event, the President addressed the issue of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the country that was linked to the drug war. The President slammed his critics who continued to attribute the different killings of alleged criminals to his administration, asking them if having fewer criminals in the country did not make them happy.
In September, he apologized to countries whose nationals died in the Philippines in the course of the ongoing drug war, saying that while he regrets the loss of lives, the government had its own laws to follow. This statement came after drug bust operations in Zambales and Bataan resulted in the death of four Chinese nationals who were suspected to be part of a "big-time drug syndicate".
Issues surrounding the President's drug war did not stop here. In the same month, a pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) green-lit the full inquiry on the bloody campaign, citing a "reasonable basis" to believe that crimes against humanity had been committed in the course of the anti-illegal drugs operations. According to Malacañang, Duterte was unfazed by this. It reiterated that the country will not cooperate with any probe as it was no longer a party to the Rome Statute that formed the ICC. However, the court said last month that it had temporarily halted its probe after the Philippine government filed a deferral request.
West Philippine Sea
The West Philippine Sea issue continued to follow the President in 2021. In April, Duterte reiterated the importance of the Hague Ruling-- something that China refuses to recognize-- after 240 suspected Chinese militia vessels were reported to have swarmed the Julian Felipe Reef.
Despite accusations that the President was doing nothing regarding the issue, Malacañang assured the public that Duterte was taking action, although this was supposedly covered by the exemption to freedom of information.
This issue went on for months. In May, the President said that China could shower the Philippines with all the COVID-19 vaccines that it wanted, but he will never surrender the country's claim to the West Philippine Sea. This stemmed from his remarks that the Philippines owed China for its vaccine donations. In the same month, President Duterte warned China that he will not withdraw Philippine ships from the West Philippine Sea even if it cost him his life.
The West Philippine Sea issue became a recurring topic in President Duterte's weekly Talk to the People. He even invited former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who said the Hague Ruling was not a mere piece of paper, to try to shed light on the matter. In this meeting, the President ordered his Cabinet men to no longer comment about the disputed waters in public. He even urged the public to demand from former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV the truth about the issue.
In June, the President publicly urged the United States to explain to him why it did not force China to withdraw its ships during the standoff in the South China Sea in 2012.
Despite all these, the President was consistent in saying that the Hague Ruling cannot be disregarded. He firmly maintained this during the virtual 76th United Nations General Assembly in September. According to him, "no amount of willful disregard by any country, however big and powerful, can diminish the Arbitral Award's importance."
PH vs COVID-19
Even with all the controversies, the President remained focused on the country's fight against COVID-19. The country saw an alarming surge in the number of cases in March, forcing Duterte to place certain areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
In June, the President approved recommendations to lift the mandatory face shield policy but immediately withdrew his order following the entry of the Delta variant. He explained that this was to prevent a disaster in the country. Eventually, Metro Manila was placed under ECQ anew in July. In September, the face shield policy was eased, limiting its use in closed, crowded, and close-contact settings. In November, the President said face shields were no longer required except in health facilities and areas under ECQ and granular lockdown.
Duterte also showed interest in the antiparasitic drug ivermectin and ordered a study on it as certain groups of people claimed that it can cure COVID-19. However, in September, the President decided to take his hands off the issue, leaving the use of the drug to the discretion of the patient and the doctor.
In October, President Duterte warned local chief executives that they can be dismissed or slapped with administrative charges if they cannot convince their constituents to get vaccinated. He made the warning as he worried that the country may miss its target of 50 million full vaccinations by the end of the year.
However, these were not the only issues that President Duterte faced when it came to the country's COVID-19 response. In April, he ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to immediately pay the valid claims of hospitals following the surge in infections.
In August, he assured medical frontliners that the government will do its best to protect and incentivize them for their hard work and sacrifice after they complained about the non-release of their special risk allowance (SRA) and the removal of their other benefits. He gave the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 10 days to process the funds needed by the Department of Health (DOH) to compensate health care workers.