Wazzup Pilipinas!?
As the conversation around the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931) heats up again — often misrepresented as a solo accomplishment of former President Rodrigo Duterte — it’s time to look deeper, not just into that one law, but into the broader pattern of how laws under his administration were often contradicted by his very own actions, statements, and policies.
Let’s get one thing clear: democracy does not work by decree. No president, no matter how popular, creates laws alone. The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act was authored and pushed by Senator Bam Aquino in the Senate and Sarah Elago of Kabataan Partylist in the House. Only after both houses ratified the bill did Duterte sign it into law — a ceremonial but necessary act in the democratic process.
Yet we now witness waves of misinformation, especially from certain circles in Davao, proclaiming Duterte as the lone hero behind free college education. This kind of historical revisionism undermines not only the real authors of the law but also the entire legislative process. As Inday Espina-Varona bluntly puts it, "Konting hiya naman."
But this goes beyond just one law. As the founder of Wazzup Pilipinas, I believe in laying out the truth — however inconvenient it may be. So let’s examine the laws Duterte signed during his presidency that appeared, at first glance, to champion human rights, transparency, and good governance — and contrast these with his actual governance and public behavior.
1. RA 11032 – Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018
Purpose: Streamline government processes and cut red tape.
Contradiction: Duterte’s approach leaned heavily on threats and public humiliation of officials rather than structural reform. Despite the law, inefficiencies persisted, and no comprehensive audit of improvements was publicly released.
2. RA 11036 – Mental Health Act of 2018
Purpose: Promote mental health awareness and rights.
Contradiction: Duterte openly mocked mental illness in speeches, once joking that people who see psychiatrists are “crazy,” earning backlash from mental health advocates who felt these remarks betrayed the spirit of the law.
3. RA 11313 – Safe Spaces Act (Bawal Bastos Law)
Purpose: Protect individuals from gender-based harassment.
Contradiction: Duterte himself was accused of violating this law through misogynistic remarks, rape jokes, and inappropriate public acts — including kissing a woman on stage — all widely condemned by human rights and women’s groups.
4. RA 11479 – Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020
Purpose: Combat terrorism with safeguards for civil liberties.
Contradiction: The law was heavily criticized for enabling red-tagging and suppressing dissent. Activists and journalists were labeled as terrorists without due process, raising alarms locally and globally over human rights abuses.
5. RA 10973 – Granting the PNP Chief Subpoena Powers
Purpose: Strengthen police investigative powers.
Contradiction: This law became a tool for harassment of political opponents and activists, especially amid the brutal war on drugs and the crackdown on perceived communists. Warrantless arrests and abuses increased during this time.
6. RA 10951 – Revised Penal Code Amendments (Including Decriminalizing Libel Fines)
Purpose: Update antiquated penalties, especially on libel.
Contradiction: Despite these amendments, Duterte pursued media entities like ABS-CBN and Rappler, using multiple legal fronts against journalists like Maria Ressa — actions widely seen as politically motivated suppression of press freedom.
7. RA 11223 – Universal Health Care Act
Purpose: Ensure health coverage for all Filipinos.
Contradiction: The pandemic response under Duterte was marred by inefficiencies, opaque vaccine deals, and poor healthcare worker protection. The PhilHealth corruption scandal further eroded public trust in the system the law aimed to strengthen.
8. RA 10931 – Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act
Purpose: Provide free tuition in public universities and colleges.
Contradiction: While not directly violated, critics say the law suffered from poor support and implementation, especially during the pandemic's shift to online learning, where public universities lacked adequate resources.
Conclusion: Signature Does Not Equal Legacy
Yes, Duterte signed all these laws. On paper, they represent progressive reforms. But governance is not measured by signatures — it is measured by consistency and integrity. You cannot sign a Mental Health Act while mocking the mentally ill. You cannot sign a Safe Spaces Act while publicly objectifying women. You cannot promote press freedom while weaponizing libel laws.
Filipinos must stop equating legislative authorship with ceremonial approval. The true champions of these reforms are the lawmakers who crafted, debated, and defended these bills — often under fire, and against resistance. Duterte was part of the process, yes — but he was not the originator of these ideas.
To credit him solely is to erase the work of true public servants and to mislead the next generation about how democracy works.
As Barnaby Lo said, "The truth is that’s how a democracy works — different branches working together for the benefit of the people." Let’s not allow propaganda to distort that truth.
Because no law is to one man’s sole credit.
Wazzup Pilipinas will continue to uphold truth, expose propaganda, and educate the Filipino people on how real progress is made — through collaboration, transparency, and the courage to speak truth to power.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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