Economist and tv host Winnie Monsod questioned President Rodrigo Duterte’s fight against the alleged oligarchs of the country.
In her latest Inquirer column, Monsod was wondering if Duterte is really making action against oligarchs for the sake of the Filipino people or he’s only doing for personal reasons.
“President Duterte has been going against oligarchs—at least that is the spin for the benefit of the masa. But is he really doing that, or is there something else afoot, other objectives, like controlling the media and/or helping his cronies?” Monsod said in her article.
Monsod said that she remembered the actions of former President Ferdinand Marcos during the martial law years to what Duterte is doing against the Lopezes who owns television network ABS-CBN and other rich businessmen.
According to Monsod, while Marcos destroyed oligarchs during his time, the former President “created a new oligarchy” composed of his relatives and cronies.
“Get the picture? I can’t help thinking, given what Mr. Duterte is saying, that he wants the Lopezes to sell to someone like, say, Davao businessman Dennis Uy—who has been buying companies like there was no tomorrow. Granted Mr. Duterte’s actions are not as direct (there is still no martial law, after all ) as Marcos’, but the end results are likely to be the same. In other words, he wants to do a Marcos (sans martial law, at least as of now). Are we, as a people, ready and willing to have that happen?”
The economist then pointed out that the Lopezes are not even in the top 10 of the richest businessmen in the Philippines.
“There are the Sys, Lucio Tan, the Ayalas, the Razons, the Gokongweis, etc. So it is not the oligarchs he is really after. Therefore, it must be the media he wants to control. What do you think, Reader?” she said.
Monsod wrote the said article, a few weeks after President Duterte criticized and cursed her after she published a column praising him for his fight against poverty.