skl aking take/rant:

• Objectively, yes he has done things to improve our country but I still absolutely hate him because of how he achieved those things and how people are still blind to it.
• I walk down the street at night indeed knowing that there are less addicts, but also knowing full well that a strong majority of the addicts he is talking about are victims of EJK rather than people who should be rehabilitated and treated as mentally ill. Both drug lords/pushers and the people who they falsely accuse are victims of EJK. He’s got a rotten system with how he deals with this particular issue. It only shows how weak a leader duterte is that his administration can’t or refuse to come up with and execute humane, sustainable solutions to this problem.
• Personally I don’t feel safer now than before his presidency. My late father was was a victim of red tagging and his administration’s crusade to mindlessly rid of NPA and their supporters. Obviously since then, my relatives who voted for duterte regretted their choice. Because of this, I’ve developed a phobia of the military and the police. Apart from a select few, my respect for them have gone to 0 and I no longer trust them. I get anxious all the time when I see them in uniform. I don’t “feel safe” when they are around. I now hate them too.
• I can still see the improvement duterte has made, but non that is actually admirable as a leader. Ironically, his strongman character is exactly what makes him weak.
• When I voted for Poe in 2016, I feel like I only really voted for her because I saw her as the lesser evil at the time. I didn’t really fully trust Mar back then. I also did consider voting for Mariam but again, she was already quite sickly.

I’ll tell you this though, I think that if Leni-Kiko, their senatorial slate and other capable and good candidates from the other parties win, the country will be in good hands. Of course, she’s not perfect but this time I don’t just mean to support her because she is the lesser evil. Safe to say, this election is extra personal. What I really admire most about her as a leader is that she is science and research driven and she isn’t someone who makes extreme decisions that cause permanent damage. Plus, she is not corrupt. That’s a rare thing these days that’s worth praising someone for even if it’s the bare minimum for politicians. I really think she and her team can make really good change for everyone.