(Second of three parts)
President Duterte's last full year in Malacañang was far from being subtle. His campaign against corruption was one of the highlights of his 2021, along with his announcement of his retirement from politics after he steps down from office next year.
Duterte vs. COA, senators
Duterte took his fight against corruption in his fight against the Commission on Audit (COA), which flagged the Department of Health (DOH) in August this year for its management of over P67-billion worth of pandemic funds. It likewise cited deficiencies in the 2020 spending of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Duterte recognized that COA was just doing its job, but he also asked the body to cut the government some slack because of the challenges brought by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. He also said the COA should release their report at least at the end of the year.
The President assured the public that their money was being spent correctly by the government, even telling the people to "kill him" if he was lying or made a mistake.
Eventually, President Duterte turned his attention to the senators, particularly Senator Richard Gordon, after the Senate launched a probe on the government's allegedly anomalous purchase of COVID-19 goods from pharmaceutical firm Pharmally. He asked the public not to believe Senate investigations as nothing happens during their probes.
He said his government will answer the accusations on how they handled the COVID-19 response efforts while turning the table on the Senate, particularly Gordon, who he accused of malversation. The President likewise alleged that Gordon accumulated billions of pesos from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), a non-government organization (NGO) that the latter chairs, and that he will use the funds for his 2022 re-election bid.
President Duterte also asked the COA to audit the PRC for perceived corruption in the organization but clarified that he was not attacking the agency.
According to the President, he will leave Gordon alone if he pays the government P86 million, the worth of disallowed expenses he claimed Gordon incurred when he was still Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman. He added that the Senator should step down from PRC.
Defending officials
Duterte was in full defense mode in standing up for his Cabinet officials this year, particularly Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who faced numerous calls for his resignation on allegations that mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August, the President professed his unconditional support for the embattled Health secretary, saying Duque did nothing wrong. He said he was willing to stand by Duque even if it would cause his downfall. He added that he will not let Duque resign, but eventually, he became open to it. In December, he jokingly offered the post to molecular biologist Father Nicanor Austriaco of the OCTA Research Group after hearing his presentation about the Omicron variant.
Before Duque, the President defended vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. after lawmakers called for more transparency in the disclosure of prices of COVID-19 vaccines the government was negotiating to purchase from China's Sinovac.
In defending Duque and Galvez, the President slammed the Senate for calling Duque and Galvez to hearings and wasting their time even when the senators were not even asking them questions. This prompted Duterte to block Cabinet members from attending Senate probes and threatened to jail senators if they will cite Cabinet members for contempt.
Duterte and the US
The President's relationship with the United States traversed the unpaved path this year as the two countries' visiting forces agreement (VFA) hung in the balance. Duterte had ordered the termination of the VFA in 2020 after US lawmakers moved to ban the entry of government officials supposedly responsible for waging the drug war.
In February, Duterte told the US government that it should pay if it wanted the VFA to stay, saying the military pact between the two nations was a "shared responsibility." Three months later, the President admitted that he was conflicted if he will pursue the abrogation of the VFA or not. In July, he ordered the cancellation of the termination of the agreement.
Also in July, the President lauded the country's 75-year tie with the US. In September, he thanked the US for donating COVID-19 vaccines to the country, saying he might just fly to the US just to express his gratitude.
Duterte and the elections
Duterte's take on the upcoming 2022 elections was one of the most anticipated events of the year. Before 2021, The President repeatedly said that he will not run for any post after he steps down in office. But in September, he disclosed that he was running for vice president so that he could to continue his programs, and because of his love for the country.
A month later, President Duterte took the country by surprise when it was his long-time aide Senator Christopher “Bong” Go who filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for vice president, while announced his plans to retire from politics. However, in November, the President filed his COC for Senator, only to withdraw this a month after.
Aside from being clueless about it, Duterte revealed that he did not like the decision of his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to form an alliance with former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. He said there will also be no coalition between his party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and his daughter's party Lakas-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats) because of its link to Marcos, who he claimed was a weak leader.
Early this month, Duterte said he will gladly turn over the presidency to his successor, knowing that he did his best during his six-year stint. He likewise assured that there will be clean and honest elections in 2022.
Peace talks
In August, the President urged Filipinos anew to believe in him and the government, and not the communists, saying he had already resolved the issue of agrarian reform-- proof that he was "smarter" than the rebels.
In October, he said he was glad that the government decided to suspend its peace negotiations with the communist rebels. He reiterated that he did not understand why they continue to kill and sow hate among the people.
President Duterte first scrapped the formal peace talks with Communist rebels in November 2017 for their supposed insincerity in the negotiations. In December last year, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) designated the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), saying it found probable cause that the CPP-NPA committed or conspired to commit the acts defined and penalized under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
COVID-19 vaccines
In February this year, President Duterte stated anew that COVID-19 shots should be treated as a global public good so many people could have access to the vaccines. He said this after he accused the European Union (EU) of holding AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines hostage when the EU introduced a new mechanism that would allow its member countries to monitor and block the export of COVID-19 vaccines.
Despite this, the President said the Philippines and the EU should reinforce their ties amid present challenges, but added there should be mutual respect and protection of human rights. The EU has expressed willingness to work with the Philippines.
In March, the President allowed the private sector to import COVID-19 vaccines at will to boost vaccinations in the country. He likewise thanked the private sector, particularly tycoon Ramon Ang, for its "tremendous assistance" to the government during the pandemic.
In his remarks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Retreat in July, the President expressed concern about a great imbalance in access to COVID-19 vaccines, saying the pandemic has become an "unforgiving race to immunity" due to the lack of bold, collaborative responses to the situation.
President Duterte, himself, got vaccinated in May this year, but this became an issue after it was announced that he got the Sinopharm vaccine-- a brand that did not have an emergency use authorization (EUA). He recognized this and said he will return 1,000 jabs of the Chinese-made vaccines to China.