Beyond Controversial Speeches: Ideologies of Duterte as Philippine President

Beyond Controversial Speeches: Ideologies of Duterte as Philippine President

Elvie Lyka L. Duran

North Eastern Mindanao State University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.70565

Received: 10 May 2023; Accepted: 22 May 2023; Published: 08 June 2023

ABSTRACT

The study examined the ideologies embedded in the speeches of President Duterte on controversial issues using a qualitative design, mainly through a Critical Discourse Analysis of Fairclough. The material used was the ten speeches of Duterte from 2016-2019 that contained controversial topics. The study’s results revealed that his ideologies include negative representation, freedom of speech, social responsibility and good governance, transformational leadership, anti-corruption policy, liberal democracy, protection and security, public order and trust, civil service, and love for the country. These related beliefs and his policies form the basis of how he views things around him and the proper role of government in society as the Philippine president. By analyzing his language and the underlying meaning of his words and uncovering the ideologies underpinning discourse, people would get to know his beliefs, positions, and ideas in various matters, assisting them in interpreting issues, events, and conditions.

Keywords – Critical Discourse Analysis, Ideologies, President Duterte, Qualitative, Social Science

INTRODUCTION

President Duterte is a prominent political figure known for his impromptu, direct, rough, and impulsive speeches on various issues. His ideologies spanned the spectrum from the Left to the Right as a person and resident of the Philippines during his reign. He is described as a socialist whose fundamental values and principles involve equality and freedom in promoting liberal social democracy (Santos, 2016) [1]. The ideology of individual decision-makers may have a significant impact on governance and regulation. The style of governance, the extent of regulation and its type, the overall perception of the role of the state and its desired size, and the understanding of what constitutes justice are all susceptible to being influenced by the ideology of officials (Weinshall, Sommer, & Ritov, 2017) [2], which is typically embedded in their speeches.

Ideology is a system of values and principles that determine and direct an individual’s behavior. It consists of interconnected and stable beliefs that characterize a person’s general political worldview, where ideas or attitudes are interdependent. It also conveys how a particular group or community perceives the world and believes it should be structured Denzau & North (1994) as cited in Carmines & D’Amico (2015) [3]. Furthermore, ideologies are linked to authority structures. Politicians strive for authority. When a person attains power, their ideology and the social, economic, and political conditions of the time influence what they do with it (Harrison & Boyd, 2018) [4].

As a speaker, one must demonstrate a positive character deserving of respect and trust (Timonera, 2017) [5]. In Ghazali’s (2004) [6] study on the rhetoric of Mahathir Mohamad, she examined discourse as a social practice in fifteen speeches delivered by Mahathir between 1982 and 1996. Her multilevel analysis explored the relationship between language and social practice, how social issues are comprehended through language, and how social practices constrain discursive practice.

Mahathir established harmony with his audience and the Malaysian population by using non-technical language, euphemisms, and assuming shared values and beliefs as strategies in his speeches.

Aman (2006) [7] also found that Mahathir’s leadership philosophy was revealed through a combination of authoritative and generic expressions in which he used similes, metaphors, other linguistic devices, interdiscursivity, and intertextuality. Lahlali (2012) [8] examined the ideological function of lexical repetition in the speeches of Hassan Nasrallah. Consequently, the relationship between repetition and ideology was not emphasized extensively. The study’s findings revealed that repetition had been consciously employed to reinforce Nasrallah’s various political strategies, designed to address various Lebanese groups, and that lexical repetition had been consciously employed in Nasrallah’s speeches to promote his ideological and political position.

This study examined the ideologies of President Duterte as reflected in his controversial speeches. By doing so, people could uncover the hidden ideologies behind the words used in a language and PRRD’s utterances in front of their audience and employ an excellent comprehension of each public speech to weigh things more accurately and avoid deception under any circumstances.

METHODOLOGY

The study employed a qualitative approach and was seen through the framework of Fairclough’s three-dimensional model (1995) and Van Dijk‘s framework based on the socio-cognitive approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to investigate the ideologies reflected in Duterte’s speeches on controversial issues.  Through the surface level of language form, CDA reveals the influence of the ideology on discourse, the counteractive influence of discourse on the ideology, and how the two elements derive from and serve for social structure and power relations (Asghar, 2014) [9]. Fairclough (1989), as stipulated in Northouse (2018) [10], expressed his view that language is argued as a social practice instead of a simple linguistic phenomenon independent of society.

The corpora used in the study included 10 of President Duterte’s 2016-2019 speeches on various controversial topics, namely: brash manner of speaking/making brash off-the-cut remarks, hardline stance against drugs and criminality, despotic policy against drug pushers and critiques, challenging his detractors, cessation of graft, and corruption in the government, excited attacks against the left/rebels/communists, insurgency in Mindanao, abhorrence of abusive and extortionist police, extreme bravery and courage, and intense love to his country (Duran, 2023) [11]. They were obtained from websites like MindaNews, Inquirer.net, and the Presidential Communications Operation Office. Letter of permission was no longer sent to the identified organizations since the transcripts gathered from these websites were posted for public viewing. Hence, any spectator could download and use the data for research purposes.

The researcher accurately read the corpora and employed coding to identify common motifs among the texts. PRRD’s ideologies on controversial issues were revealed through the words, phrases, linguistic features, and discursive devices he used in his speeches.  Insights were then generated based on the study’s findings.

RESULTS

               This section discusses the ideologies of PRRD, as reflected in his speeches on controversial issues. It is divided into eight areas: negative representation, freedom of speech, social responsibility and good governance, transformational leadership, anti-corruption policy, liberal democracy, protection and security, public order and trust, and love for the country.

Negative representation; freedom of speech. Negative representation pertains to a negative depiction of a person, his attitude, and his personality as perceived by others or critics. At the same time, freedom of speech refers to the right of people to express their opinions publicly without being restrained or censored, governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, and others.

President Rodrigo Duterte constantly uses colloquial language in his speeches to reach his audience. Aside from being tagged as ‘Makamasa,’ he believes that the language does not matter, but the message is important to be internalized by the listeners. In his speeches, he does not consider whether the words are already below the belt or have offended the ears of the listeners. He is criticized for not using literary English to become more refined and fitting since he is the nation’s highest official. The words and styles he used in delivering his speeches pose a challenge for a negative representation, especially since he is a president and a lawyer at the same time on the machinery of communication responsible for preparing the speeches to be delivered in public.

The president often uses figurative language in most of his speeches, but sometimes it becomes harsh on the listeners because he does not consider the effects of this on them. It does not matter to him if he can deliver his message. However, this draws criticism from listeners in his own country and abroad. The president uses a manifestation of freedom of speech in his speeches. This is why he is branded as somebody who employs a brash manner in speaking or making brash off-the-cut remarks, making him a very controversial political figure.

Social responsibility and good governance. Social responsibility refers to the obligation of a person or organization’s management towards the welfare and interests of the society in which it operates. At the same time, good governance is an approach to government devoted to establishing a system founded on justice and peace that protects individuals’ human rights and civil liberties. Good governance augments the public’s faith and confidence in its leader. Legislative procedures were designed to protect societies from known threats and prevent problems from occurring or reoccurring. As a result, the government works hard to improve its performance to enhance its relationships with the people. Good governance and social responsibility help the country keep it in balance and support the government’s efforts to promote satisfaction on the part of its people.

PRRD has manifested compassion in most of his speeches, especially on the rampant proliferation of drugs in the country and criminality, which destroys the generation’s future, especially the youths. In most of his speeches, he does not fail to blow a blow to the drug lords, pushers, protectors, and criminals. He always assures his compatriots that he will not stop his war until the last pushers and drug lords are killed. He is not afraid to die and even challenges the criminals to fight him face to face, for he knows that what he is doing is not for himself but for the whole Filipino people.

The cracking down on the drug trade’s social cancer has resulted in bloody encounters between his police officers and the drug lords and pushers. The president assures the police officers and tells them not to be afraid to apprehend or even kill these criminals if they resist.  Several people were killed at the height of its war, which became alarming. That is why he is associated with the famous American actor Dirty Harry who is reckless, disregards practices and policies, or has a questionable use of force and even shooting incidents.

On the other hand, most people admire the unorthodox method used by the president to reform the system because this has been a problem left unabated for many decades. Only President Duterte has completely changed the political machinery and fought crime at a challenging level among the heads of state. What the president is doing signifies his social responsibility as the highest-ranking official responsible for good governance and providing peace and order to the country. He is even criticized for his hardline stance against drugs and criminality, but still, he can carve a name not only in the Philippines but even abroad.

Table 1. Ideologies of PRRD as Reflected in his Speeches on Controversial Issues

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the analysis, the following are the ideologies embedded in the speeches of PRRD on controversial issues. These include negative representation, freedom of speech, social responsibility and good governance, transformational leadership, anti-corruption policy, liberal democracy, protection and security, public order and trust, and love for the country.

Jones and Wareing (1999), as cited by Kulo (2009) [12], argue that the ability to convey the message that the speaker and listener want plays a decisive role in establishing an ideology. Ideology is systematic and purposeful, controlled by man’s vigilance and mentality. It finds certain tracks that determine how humans look at things, consider things, judge things, and draw their ambivalent attitudes in life (Ghaderinezhad, 2015) [13]. In addition, it is a belief system that is socially shared by the members of a collectivity of social actors (van Dijk, 2006) [14]. Ideologies are generally categorized through the social field where they function.

Ideologies have many cognitive and social functions. They serve as the ultimate foundation of the discourses and other social practices of the members of social groups as group members. Another is that they organize and ground the social representations shared by the members of (ideological) groups. Apart from these, they also allow members to organize and coordinate their (joint) actions and interactions, given the goals and interests of the group as a whole. Lastly, they function as part of the socio-cognitive interface between social structures (conditions, etc.) of groups on the one hand and their discourses and other social practices on the other hand (van Dijk, 2006).

Negative representation; freedom of speech. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has attracted criticism at home and abroad for his punitive rhetoric and bloody crackdown on the drug trade in the country (Arugay & Kraft, 2020) [15]. Even though Duterte is the only elected president throughout the nations across the world being investigated for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, despite his offensive language about women, his direct assaults on the press, and his capo di tutti capi style of rule, his use of the judicial machinery of the country to indict political rivals, still he enjoys the highest approval ratings of the Filipino leaders at this stage of their term in office in recent history (Bernstein, 2020) [16]. Accordingly, Duterte’s political success illustrates many reasons why, as a strongman and populist leader, he can bypass challenges or crises that would wreck a more typical politician.

One of the learning curve components under President Duterte’s presidency is the acceptance that presidential public statements are considered official policy statements. President Duterte’s colloquial, shoot-from-the-hip communication style, fundamental to his extensive and deep popularity, poses a challenge that has not been overcome. People should not take President Duterte literally but instead, use their ‘creative imagination’ to interpret his statements and emotional context. Mr. Duterte, as “Mayor of the Philippines,” appears to be politically bullet-proof. Anticipations that the president’s office would modify President Duterte more than he would change the conduct of that office have not been recognized. There are no signs that things will be different soon (Cook, 2017). [17]

Social responsibility and good governance.  In Roque’s speech, as cited in Corrales (2018), he described PRRD as someone known for his strong political will, decisive leadership, and compassion for his fellowmen. According to him, President Duterte shows his outstanding dedication in fulfilling his goal of building a nation where opportunities abound and where citizens are empowered to realize their aspirations; he also expresses his sense of duty and fidelity to the country that motivates people to work even harder to spread his message of genuine and meaningful change to our people.

Various aspects are involved in terms of good governance. It comprises the rule of law, active participation, full respect of human rights, multi-actor partnerships, political pluralism, translucent and liable institutions and processes, an efficient and effective public sector, lawfulness, political empowerment of people, equity, sustainability, access to knowledge, information and education and attitudes and values that foster responsibility, solidarity and tolerance (OHCHR, 2019). [18]

Being the country’s topmost employer for having manpower of more than a million Filipinos, the government has the primary duty and responsibility to promote everything beneficial and favorable to all.  Corporate social responsibility in the private sector means giving back favor to the general populace and the environment. Usually, it involves public relations and publicity of sorts. Corporate social responsibility is the duty to ensure a healthy and happy people. That is done by ensuring that each peso is spent wisely for programs to achieve that purpose. Good governance adopts a framework of inclusive growth: sustained growth, generates mass employment, and reduces poverty. The Plan transforms into definite objectives, goals, programs, projects, and strategies — everything the government wants to achieve in the medium term, with good governance and anticorruption as the all-encompassing and central theme of every intervention (Manila Times, 2015). [19]

Nevertheless, the hallmark of Mr. Duterte’s early years as president has been a relentless crackdown on drug dealers and users. He has urged citizens and the police to conduct extra-judicial killings of suspects, and thousands have died in the anti-drug campaign (British Broadcasting Company, 2019) [20]. PRRD is nicknamed “The Punisher” for his ruthless tactics in fighting crime. He has been accused of running vigilante death squads that target suspected wrongdoers in the southern city of Davao (Gabrillo, 2016). [21]

Writing about his Davao reign in 2002, Time magazine (Zabriskie 2002) [22] dubbed him “Dirty Harry” (after the movie with a policeman as a vigilante), portraying Duterte as a motorcycle-riding, gun-toting mayor and comparing him to “The Punisher” (after the vigilante Marvel comic book figure) for condoning the summary execution of alleged criminals. Duterte used his record as Davao mayor as his campaign calling card. As mayor, he crafted a tough-guy (siga) image, proclaiming himself the savior of communist-infiltrated and crime-infested Davao (Teehankee and Thompson 2016). [23] The people of Davao “allowed him to rule with an iron fist in exchange for social peace and personal security” (Isaac and Aceron, 2016) [24]. Duterte shrugged off accusations of human rights abuses, promising to implement his Davao model nationwide.

               According to Arugay & Kraft (2020) [25], most citizens buy out the idea of an iconoclastic outsider driven to reform Philippine politics and combat crime. Still, they consistently break with him on concrete policy, including the war on drugs (which they upkeep in theory but frequently say should not include killings) and foreign policy. Police brutality in the ‘War on Drugs’ has disproportionately affected poorer segments of society. The incident was followed by the temporary suspension of certain anti-drug operations by the police (Lamb 2017; Talabong 2017) [26]. The war on drugs has also spawned a series of large protests supported by the Catholic Church (Reuters, 2018).  Alejano, as cited in Brinkløv (2017) [27], argues that Duterte is using the war on drugs to control the people, and with the war on drugs, his objective is to sow fear in the people and opposition.

Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership occurs when leaders perform their roles so effectively that they gain the trust, respect, appreciation, and loyalty of those who follow them. This, in turn, changes (transforms) people’s behaviors (Thompson, 2019) [28]. It is viewed as a positive force to mobilize organizations. Hence, it is an essential facilitator of organizational change (Bass & Riggio, 2006). [29] It also creates a vision for their followers and guides the change through inspiration and motivation (Awamleh & Gardner, 1999; Northouse, 2018). [30]

President Duterte’s leadership focuses on the maintenance of peace and order. As a leader, he uses a combination of leadership skills characterized by firmness in decisions, taking responsibility for all actions, and accomplishing the desired outcomes. He is an epitome of a true and transformational leader with charisma to the masses and a very strategic and influential person. He is mainly voted for his type of leadership and skill in maintaining peace and order and providing safety and security. At the same time, the various programs he has implemented are considered additional endeavors and accomplishments to his brand of leadership (Laya & Marquez, 2012). [31]

However, Duterte pointed to Davao as a city transformed from violence and conflict (the “murder capital of the Philippines”) to a peaceful place where business and culture flourished and which had been named among the most believable in Asia. He claimed to have shown the benefits a strongman rule could bring locally (Thompson, 2016). [32]

Anti-corruption policy.  Corruption is the misappropriation of office for unofficial ends. It can go beyond bribery to include neglect of duty, favoritism, and nepotism. Corrupt acts can involve third parties outside the organization, such as extortion and bribery while doing transactions with clients and citizens and theft, embezzlement, and some types of fraud internal to an organization. It can occur in businesses, civil society organizations, governments, and international agencies. Each variety has a scale dimension, from episodic to systemic (Klitgaard, 2015). [33]

As the President sees it, fighting corruption with a remorseless clenched fist is the only way to the change he promised to enhance bureaucratic efficiency in delivering services, restore public trust, and improve investor confidence (Baldad, 2019).  [34] According to Andara, as cited in Parrocha (2019) [35] , the eradication of corruption has been the utmost priority of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration. Curbing corruption in the government and our society is the administration’s top priority for the country to progress and succeed. He highlighted that the indispensable mechanisms are persistently being put in place by this administration to curb it as allowing even the littlest act of corruption to begets larger and bigger acts that become the norm.

These anti-corruption efforts include Duterte’s signing of an executive order creating the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), tasked to eliminate all forms of corruption and red tape in the executive department. He has repeatedly vowed to fire government officials and personnel involved in even a “whiff of corruption.” He also signed the Freedom of Information Act, which emboldens and supports transparency. The policy stipulates people’s rights to fully disclose all public interest transactions. Another anti-corruption law known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, which improved the former Anti-Red Tape Law, was also signed by the President. The new law now covers embassies and consulate offices. It has provisions for a zero-contact policy between officials or employees and requesting parties, more accountability for officers receiving documents, and shorter transaction processing times (Parrocha, 2019) [36]. He also fired, removed, resigned, replaced, or rejected scores of government employees and officials due to allegations of corruption or mismanagement of public funds (Baldad, 2019) [37]. Initiatives are done because corruption breeds an abusive, looming, degenerate culture of embezzlement and extortion without consequence if corruption is left unrestrained. And when allowed to go on, it will oppress the rights, freedom, lives, properties, and future (Emerson, 2010). [38]

Liberal democracy. Liberal democracy is a political system that embodies liberal ideology and enshrines the idea of liberty through the universal provision of rights by establishing representative institutions (Gray 1995; Mouffe 2000). [39] Keenan (2003) [40] contested this idea of universality since venues of political participation in government and decision-making processes are usually limited and exclusive to representatives for the sake of stability. In other words, liberal democracy is not a harmonious integration of democratic politics and institutions. Instead, it limits popular sovereignty to an identified people through representative institutions. Thus, identity and sovereignty became core objects of debate/contestation (Ordonez & Borja, 2018). [41] For Mouffe (2000) [42], liberal democracy is founded upon the articulation to uphold both the liberal emphasis on the rule of law, the defense of human rights and individual liberty, as well as on the representation, prevalent autonomy, and democratic struggle for equality.

Nowadays, wherever one discovers liberalism (understood as limited and statutory government, the protection of individual rights, and the rule of law), it is usually combined with democracy (understood as choosing of government officials through universal suffrage). Liberalism is a doctrine devoted to protecting the individual’s rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. The government needs to protect those rights, but it can also threaten them, so it is also essential to guard against their infringement by the government. Thus, liberalism entails a government limited by a constitution and the rule of law (Plattner, 1999). [43]

President Duterte describes himself as a socialist. Equality is the fundamental principle of socialism, while liberty is the fundamental principle of liberal democracy. Equality and liberty are at the core of liberal social democracy (Santos, 2016). [44] What sets PRRD apart from other former heads of state is that he capitalizes on the weaknesses of the same liberal democratic ideology: its hypocrisy and its lack of determination drive the envelope on further bolstering liberal democratic forces in power. No president can lay claim to placing a third of the country under martial for as long as President Duterte has done, purportedly, to secure the state — with Congress approval and the assent of the Supreme Court majority. The past liberal democratic leaders didn’t push the envelope on exterminating perceived threats to the ruling system —addicts, pushers, journalists, or communists. PRRD did, and he thus has endeared himself to the ABC classes pining for their liberal democratic peace (Cruz, 2018). [45]

Democracy is undoubtedly the closest word that can be associated with the ideology of liberalism. Democratic values like accountability, open government, a codified constitution, and the separation of powers are all endorsed by liberals. Having said this, supporters of liberal democracy claim that it holds significant benefits for humanity. The spread of democracy enables the individual to play their whole part in the political process. In addition, democratic participation promotes the development of the individual and is, therefore, the best system available for ensuring maximum happiness for the most significant number. Democracy could also be said to promote stability within society in that all groups have the opportunity to express their beliefs (Bloor, 2010). [46]

Protection and security. PRRD extended the martial law proclamation and suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao despite the progress and significant strides the government has achieved against the Da’watul Islamiyah Wallyatul Masriq (DIWM) and its sympathizers because the rebellion persists. A lot more remains to be done to completely quell the same and bring back public order and safety in Mindanao while protecting and preserving the nation’s integrity (Press and Public Affairs Bureau, 2017). [47]

Mindanao is a multifaceted hodgepodge of ethnic, clan-based, and religious interests. There is a threat that the new Convention could highly worsen into a faction-ridden talking shop that emphasizes the differences between competing groups’ agendas rather than reconciling them. Duterte’s enormous mandate and strong support for sovereignty have won him some time, but he cannot delay it too long. A failure in the peace process would lead to an unpredictable, impulsive, and potentially much more violent future instead of a return to a status quo ante (Johnston, 2016). [48]

Meanwhile, the administration of President Duterte focuses more sharply on intelligence analysis. It also builds on their experience and capability of peacebuilding acquired while the Philippine government was still in negotiations with the MILF. It also emphasizes addressing the accusations and grievances that jihadist movements exploit, empowering people and communities that uphold peace and support a political solution to the Mindanao conflict (International Crisis Group, 2018). [49]

Public order and trust; civil service. Recently, national attention has been focused on deep cracks in trust between some police officers and the communities they are charged with protecting, and despite an era when information technology has the potential to increase significantly transparency of police activities in a variety of ways, building and maintaining trust is still challenging. However,

PRRD considers building and maintaining trust between police and the public critical for Philippine democracy (Jackson, 2015). [50]

Communities must take a unified stand against disregard for the law, crime, and violence and commit to increasing crime prevention and intervention activities. Police agencies should assist in building more robust and more self-sufficient societies—societies where crime and disorder will not thrive. Community policing is considered a democracy in action. It necessitates the active participation of local government, public and private agencies, civic and business leaders, residents, schools, hospitals, and churches. All who share a concern for the neighborhood’s welfare should bear responsibility for safeguarding that welfare (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 1994). [51]

The government under President Duterte works on strengthening its capability to reduce criminality and terrorism significantly and to ensure the safety and security of all Filipinos in the country and overseas from all hazards. Security, public order, safety, and peace are accorded high priority by the government for its role is one of the critical foundations of development. While improvements have been achieved, efforts still need to be strengthened on increasing police visibility, developing and promoting non-traditional systems for responding to crime and emergencies, and ensuring that all law enforcement and military operations comply with the requirements set by the international human rights standards prescribed in international human rights laws and domestic laws, including the Constitution, which provides safeguards against human rights violations., and enhancing the capability of the security sector for humanitarian assistance and disaster response (Philippine Development Plan, 2017). [52]

Love for the country. President Rodrigo R. Duterte is exceptionally patriotic. As cited in Arillo (2016) [53], George Orwell defines patriotism as an expression of love toward one’s country. There is devotion to a particular way of life and place, which an individual trusts to be the greatest in the world but does not intend to force onto other people. Patriotism is generally defensive, both militarily and culturally, in its nature.

President Duterte is defensive because his love for the Philippines is exemplary. PRRD has regularly invoked patriotism or loyalty, national pride, and love of the country to motivate public support for various decisions and policies (George, 2017). [54] Patriotism or nationalistic fervor, his true love of the motherland, is his character’s magic charm.  His messages, spoken in the language of the proletariat, resonate with genuine concern for the neglected and forgotten. He dejected his limitations and weaknesses in the idioms of the underprivileged. Only President Digong, of all Filipino presidents and leaders, has taken an admirable stance against the oligarchs and has realized the real cause of the misery of the Filipinos.

The President’s patriotism exudes every time he speaks about controversial issues. He is unique and can risk his life for his fellow Filipinos and his country. He does not care what other people say. He is not a respecter of people. Even the Pope is not exempted from his harsh words. He always speaks from his heart. He ran to serve and sacrifice. He also encourages those patriots like him to help him clean up the society, which, since 15 presidents ago, has built up filth and scum, which resulted in the weakening of the government’s machinery and missing its target most of the time (i.e., uplifting the hopeless, helpless, defenseless, and the poor (Simbulan, 2020). [55] The President led the Filipinos to become the nation’s own heroes-committed to advocating good governance and upholding the rule of law; steadfast to ending criminality and all forms of government corruption; and compassionate to the plight of the poor and less privileged (Lemoine, Hartnell & Leroy, 2019). [56]

CONCLUSION

From the results of the study, President Duterte’s ideologies are revealed through his speeches, and these include negative representation; freedom of speech, social responsibility and good governance, transformational leadership, anti-corruption policy, liberal democracy, protection and security, public order and trust; civil service, and love for country and these related beliefs, and his policies form the basis of how he views things around him and the proper role of government in the society. These ideologies of PRRD are embedded in his speeches on different controversial issues.

Everybody knows that the president is fond of giving impromptu speeches rather than preparing speeches from his communication group. He is not after the language’s formality but on his audience’s concept of being understood. He exercises his freedom of speech to express his ideas and sentiments freely to motivate people and castigate the offenders.  Being the head of the nation, he is always concerned about protecting the masses to keep them safe from violations and harm.  The most notable value the President of the Philippines manifests is the greatest love for his Motherland. He even told the detractors that he was not afraid to die or even to rot in jail to protect the Philippines. There is only one country, so he will love, honor and preserve it so the next generation can live and enjoy democracy.

The study implies that the ability to convey one’s intended messages to a particular group of individuals plays a pivotal role in establishing an ideology. For this reason, there is a need to understand that people have different ways of perceiving and viewing things, and this always depends on their background knowledge or notions in their minds that would tell them how they will dwell with them. Thus, as recipients of this finding, employing a great understanding of each speech spoken to the public is indispensable to weigh things better and avoid deception in any circumstances.  

Inasmuch as this study is limited only to the analyses of ten speeches of PRRD on controversial issues, it is recommended that future studies be conducted along this line but with a more extensive data set, including the pandemic issue Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). As such, it will offer a bigger window into the strategies and presentations used by the President in his speeches on controversial issues.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my family, mentors, and everyone who contributed to the success of this study.

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