​Who is afraid of Rodrigo Duterte? (4)

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 19 May 2016 by Romeo Bernardo

---

It is still difficult to listen to him for long. The curses and threats continue to roll off his tongue, his speeches remain stuck in a one-note anti-crime spiel, and his behavior suggests that he has yet to see himself other than a small town mayor. And he is not going to make it easy for the anxious businessmen in Manila to take to him. In fact, fresh from his post-election vacation in Davao early this week, he gave them another jolt by offering four social sector positions in his cabinet to the communist party. He also unabashedly appointed friends from school days - “valedictorians” - and close political associates to his management team. We would be worried about his latest antics were it not for three things. First is the appointment of Carlos Dominguez, a trusted friend from school days, as finance secretary. Considering Mr. Duterte’s self-confessed lack of proficiency and interest in economic matters, it really was important to have someone with Mr. Dominguez’s stature and experience in his cabinet to lead the economic team and calm investors upset by Mr. Duterte’s campaign rhetoric. Indeed, we take Mr. Dominguez’s reported initial hesitation to accept the assignment as a good sign that he is joining the team on his own terms, meaning he will have a hand in choosing other members of the economic management team, including the heads of DBM, NEDA, and the tax collection agencies, BIR and BoC. Mr. Dominguez last week took the lead in outlining the incoming government’s economic agenda, which contained elements of both continuity and change and was well-received by the business community[1]. Second is our belief that he made the offer for the communist party to joi...