Bayan Muna solon: Duterte can’t be compared to Trump

A militant lawmaker and ally of President Rodrigo Duterte belied the claims of critics comparing Duterte to US President-elect Donald Trump.

In a press briefing at the House of Representatives on Thursday, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said unlike Trump, who is an oligarch, Duterte is a public servant who cares for the interests of his constituents.

READ: Donald Trump elected US president

The Mindanao legislator said Trump tramples on the rights of US minorities like the Latinos and the African Americans but Duterte fights for the rights of Lumads and Moros in Mindanao.

Trump also lacked political experience while Duterte obtained leadership skills from ruling Davao City for decades and gained legal expertise from being a prosecutor, Zarate said.

READ: Trump election elicits fears, some cheers around the globe 

“Wala akong nakikitang similarity. Naging presidente si Digong, malawak ang experience niya. Si Trump naman, wala. Trump is an oligarch, si Digong, hindi nanggaling diyan. Si Digong ay malapit sa mga Moro at Lumad, si Trump talagang he’s trampling on the rights of minorities,” Zarate said.

“Ang dami nilang differences. Si Digong, kino-konsulta niya ang mga mamamayan. Si Trump, kailangan siguro mag-konsulta kay Digong,” he added.

Zarate also said while Duterte is paving the way for peace with communist and Moro rebels, Trump wanted to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants,

Zarate disputed social media posts depicting a parallel between Duterte and Trump as hostile leaders.

“Sa social media, may alliance of strong men. Ang difference nila, as far as our situation is concerned, mayroong malaking pagbabago sa pagbalangkas ng nagsasariling polisiya on our relationship with other countries, at pagbibigay ng priority ng present admin sa usapin ng pangkapayapaan,” Zarate said.

“Taliwas kay Trump, kung titingnan ang policy statement na maglagay ng wall sa Mexican border,” he added.

For his part, Act Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said if there is a similarity between the two, Duterte and Trump are both sexists.

Duterte was criticized for his sexist jokes, for kissing women during the campaign period, and recently for ogling at the legs of Vice President Leni Robredo.

For Trump, he was hounded by sexual assault allegations from several women during the campaign.

READ: Trump denounces ‘lies and smears’ as more women come forward | Duterte admits ogling at Robredo’s legs during Cabinet meeting

“The only similarity would be sa sexism,” Tinio said.

Tinio said while Trump as an oligarch represents big US businesses, Duterte represents the interests of big mining and plantations firms in Mindanao whose market is in China, the country’s latest ally in Duterte’s radical pivot in Asia.

Duterte himself said he and Trump share the habit of cursing.

“We are both foul-mouthed. We curse even [at the slightest] things,” Duterte said on Wednesday.

Zarate said he does not think Duterte is softening his stance against the US now that Trump is president-elect.

“He was just trying to be nice. May bagong presidente, syempre i-ko-congratulate mo,” Zarate said.

READ: Duterte softens stance on US, tells Trump: ‘Mabuhay ka’

A Huffington Post column compared Trump and Duterte in terms of each other’s hard stance on issues – Trump’s promise to deport illegal immigrants, and Duterte’s vow to rid the Philippines of drug addicts and pushers.

The opinion piece written by Stanley A. Weiss, a global mining executive and founder of Washington-based Business Executives for National Security, also compared Duterte and Trump for their tendencies to cozy up to China and Russia.

“In just over 100 days, Duterte has already incited international havoc. With the power of the US presidency, Trump could do so on a much bigger scale,” Weiss wrote.

“(W)e’ve already seen what a person with Duterte’s callousness and carelessness can do. If we were to elect that kind of person to the Oval Office, then we may just prove him right. America: consider yourself warned,” he added./rga