President Elect of Philippines 2016 Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte shares his Cabinet Wishlist

NEXT PRESIDENT? Duterte enjoys a moment of silence in between interviews as the initial counting of votes show he is pulling away closer to victory. Photo by Manman Dejeto/Rappler

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – If before he was coy about naming or describing the persons he is likely to appoint to his Cabinet, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte spoke more openly about them on the night of elections.

That night, the initial counting of the votes showed he was pulling away from his closest rival, Senator Grace Poe.

Throughout the night, media asked him who he plans to include in his Cabinet, people who would be secretaries and heading the departments that have power over so many aspects of Philippine life.

To Rappler, he said a good number of these appointees would be retired "military men." He said former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr would definitely have a place in his Cabinet.

For the Department of Transportation and Communications or Department of Finance, he is considering Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III, his long-time friend and a businessman in Davao City. Dominguez was also an agriculture secretary during the presidency of Cory Aquino.

Jesus Dureza, his high school classmate and a press secretary under the administration of Fidel Ramos, will play a leading role in his administration’s Mindanao peace process efforts, he said.

For the Department of Trade and Industry, he is considering former Clark Development corporation president Arthur Tugade who was his San Beda College of Law classmate.

His defense secretary may be a certain ex-general of the navy who Duterte admires or an “outside worker” who he will have to convince to work for government.

As for interior secretary, Duterte told Rappler, “I would like to get a manager kasi ‘yung police, ako mag-handle niyan (because I will be handling the police) through an undersecretary. Not a politician, a manager.”

E-DAY. Duterte is interviewed by media after voting in Davao City. Photo by Manman Dejeto/Rappler

He has no specific person in mind for the crucial post, but when asked if he might give it to Leoncio “Jun” Evasco, his campaign manager and respected mayor of Maribojoc, Bohol, he said, “Tingnan ko (I’ll see). But Evasco is my planner and he plays an important role even when I was mayor.”

But he added that Evasco “will stay with me.”

Duterte also has no specific name for the job of agriculture secretary but he said, “It will be good if I can find an agronomist who is also a good manager.”

For posts like environment secretary and tourism secretary, he wants someone “young and brilliant” and “not a politician.”

Duterte was also intending to give the foreign secretary position to his running mate Alan Peter Cayetano if he wins. But given the vote count, Cayetano is likely to lose the vice-presidential race.

Given Duterte is yet to zero in on specific people for key positions, he plans to ask “somebody” to make him a shortlist.

“I will ask somebody to give me a list. Short list lang ako (Just a shortlist for me). Somebody whom I trust and somebody who is really a manager,” he told Rappler.

“If you have a good manager who knows the entrails of the job, e di walang problema(then no problem),” he explained.

On the campaign trail, he has promised to appoint Albay Governor Joey Salceda as National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief. – Rappler.com

The Duterte presidency platforms were all set! And here are the things that he will do for the country:

CRIMES & DRUGS
-Suppress drugs & crimes within 3 to 6 months.
-Increase police salaries to P75,000 to P100,000 within 3 years.
-Installations of CCTV in all thoroughfares.
-Revival of the Special Courts to serious crime.
-Unite the country by healing of deeply-ingrained differences and shifting to Federal forms of government.

CORRUPTION
-Passage of the “Freedom of Information Act” and “Anti-Dummy Law”
-Lifting of the Bank Secrecy Law
-CCTV in all government offices

ECONOMIC BOOST
-Create jobs
-Industrialize and build factories
-Build a Philippine Steel Mill
-Build a “business Island” with ideal business atmosphere for foreign investors
-Limit 5 signatures for business permits (30 to 60 days)
-Maintain “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” or 4Ps
-1 Billion “Small Capital Fund” outside Metro Manila
-Establish tourism, agricultural, and industrial hubs to create jobs in countryside.

AGRICULTURE
-Lower Cost of Food
-Get rid of middle man loan sharks
-Build food terminals with advanced facilities in their provinces.
-Build Mindanao railway system
-Free irrigation and subsidized fertilizers and  seeds for farmers.

ENVIRONMENT
-Ban mining firms with records of exploitation
-Study renewable energy

OFW and WORKERS
-Improve labor conditions for Filipino workers
-No income tax for workers with P20,000 and below.
-No more contractualization.
-Gradual increase of salary for all other jobs/workers
-Back for OFW remittance
-Bring home OFWs in case of abuse.
-Tracking for protection of Filipinos abroad

EDUCATION and HEALTH
-Double the salary of teachers
-Build adequate classrooms and double the shifts
-Teach values and Filipino Pride
-Require all hospitals to treat very poor patients using government programs like Phil Health reserved funds and Department of Health budget

TRANSPORTATION
-Add more carriages to train lines
-Build fast lane linking airports and seaports to Metro Manila
-Decongest Metro Manila
-Develop Clark Airport and Batangas Seaport to ease traffic congestion

FOREIGN POLICY
-Pursue arbitration case

DISASTER & CLIMATE CHANGE
-Create 911

Source Duterte News