Ms. Charity Quiroz defended Pres. Duterte against Raissa Robles

REPOST: From Sherry Zimmer
October 26, 2017

Thank you to Rey L. Llena for sending me this private message so I can share it with other President Duterte Supporters.

Today, Ms. Charity Quiroz of the World Bank in Washington D.C. politely defended Pres. Duterte against Raissa Robles' lies being spread around the US.

A fascinating read - to say the least.

"Today, Raissa Robles, a journalist, author and staunch critic of President Duterte, spoke before the Filipino Association of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. She predicated her talk about her book on Marcos Martial Law and spewed speculations (yes, that's her own term) that Duterte is following Marcos's steps because the former wants to impose martial law, authoritarianism and be the new "strong man" of the Philippines.

Just like her previous talks in UCLA, UC Berkley, and New York, her ideas are all about the atrocities of Marcos martial law for which I give her credit for accounting these with clear supporting documentations. However, the punches she threw against Duterte are just that, speculations, which she tried to fit into the narrative of the Marcos martial law regime for which she has failed miserably.

There have been a lot of inconsistencies on her speculations. When I asked her questions below, Robles cannot give a categorical, factual and logical answer.

a) she notes no checks and balances but truth is there are currently in place in institutions (supreme court, congress, etc.) and on the vast majority of the populace (see item d) below); she mentioned De Lima being in jail shows this checks and balance system is gone. Really?

b) the disconnect from her alleged Duterte's aim for authoritarian and strong-man rule vs. her own claim that Duterte just delegates freely - an authoritarian that delegates? What can be more contradictory to that?

c) the contradiction for Duterte's aim for unitary power vs. Duterte's push for federalism - federalism removes unitary and central powers and instead decentralize this to subnational government or states; she noted that Duterte aims for unicameral system where the senate will be abolished. So I asked, the members of the parliament can easily vote for a Prime Minister which usually make a President as symbolic. How will that favor Duterte? ...silence...

d) the disconnect between the context of Marcos regime versus Duterte's current context on freedom of information, advanced technology that empowers knowledge sharing, fact-checking and thus, ushering an invisible force of accountability for Duterte or any leader enjoying the perks of popularity. She did not even bother to answer... next question please! lol!

Robles also mentioned about Duterte's tax reform that while will alleviate the middle class, will hurt the poor due to excise tax on petrolium products. She said Duterte, being a dictator that he is, is pushing without consultation (?) for the modernization of public utility vehicles that use electric source of power -- eh haler, how can the poor be negatively affected by excise tax on petrolium when they'll have access to more efficient public transport system that use non-petrolium energy? Ano ba ate, make up your mind!

Robles keeps mentioning about Duterte's war on drugs negatively affecting the Philippine economy. She might have forgotten that she's at the World Bank that monitors the country's progress and that continues to see a positive outlook on Philippine's economy. Boyito showed her the monthly report. Again, duhhh!

The discussion was cordial, but then Robles failed to satisfy the tests of logic and factual basis that may lead one into conclusion that she is stuck with her jurassic notion of the Philippines being a "third world country" (term she used in her book, which has long been debunked by World Bank itself in 2009 to erase such demeaning label against developing or low-income countries). And that she's bent on demonizing Duterte. A propaganda she might be oblivious that not just necessarily hit Duterte alone but maligns the entire Philippines and her kapwa Filipinos who are being demonized as well in foreign lands.

More than angered, I feel sorry for the so-called investigative and writing talents of Robles being used to vilify the Philippines. Sad and disappointing!"

Source: FB Tess de Leon Hammer
October 27, 2017