(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, Jan. 1, urged Filipinos to help the government fight drugs, criminality and corruption that “stunt the country’s development.”
“I have no doubt that, with our patriotic fervor and with our solidarity as a people, we can overcome the challenges that impede our continued march towards a more prosperous and progressive future,” Duterte said in his brief New Year’s message.
“Armed with the knowledge and brimming with hope… we can triumph over any struggles that we may face as a nation,” he added.
President Duterte won the 2016 elections campaigning on an anti-corruption, anti-criminality platform.
Since he assumed office, he has embarked on a war against drugs that has gained the approval of many Filipinos but was largely unpopular among human rights groups.
Based on a Social Weather Stations survey, 92 percent of Filipinos welcome the New Year with hope.