Assessing Aquino’s Term

Screengrab from Rappler.com

CHEERS TO Rappler for running pieces that looked back on the term of outgoing President Benigno Aquino III.

On June 15, Rappler posted “The Aquino Legacy,” which recalled events during Aquino’s term, including “its successes, its failures, and its legacy.” The special page hosts articles assessing Aquino as a leader (“The Aquino Promise,” “Traffic, urban woes and the Aquino administration’s image problem,” “Aquino: 82 bills rejected in 6 years”), recalling his campaign promises (“What happened to FOI under Aquino?”), and reviewing  the state of the economy (“Beyond the numbers: How Aquino fueled the economy,” “Snapshot of industries: Good, poor performers under Aquino”),  among others.

The coverage of Aquino, whose term ends on June 30, has declined dramatically, as the press has moved to report more on the president-elect, Rodrigo Duterte, including Duterte’s appointees to Cabinet positions. Media attention has focused on every detail,  including the often outrageous statements and profanities, provoking the subject to shut out the press.

Other media organizations tried to do similar assessments, most notably,  ABS-CBN News Channel’s The World Tonight ran a report by RG Cruz  “Daang Matuwid: The hits and misses,” (June 20) that also reviewed Aquino’s term, noting its achievements (the anti-corruption campaign) as well as its  failures (the non-passage of a Freedom of Information bill).

The efforts to assess the term of the outgoing administration are to be commended. They are a reminder that even at the advent of a new administration, the public must keep in mind the accomplishments and failures of the outgoing leadership, as well as the lapses and wrongs it may have committed for which it must be held accountable. This establishes a baseline with which to better evaluate how the new administration fulfills its claims and promises.