The question must be asked then, has Duterte squandered his chance to transform the nation?

Duterte won an immense electoral mandate in 2016 and is still hugely popular, with an 87 per cent approval rating as of December according to pollsters Pulse Asia, but has he wasted this?

Has the pursuit of personal enemies such as ABS-CBN, kicking out the Americans and pivoting to China distracted Malacanang?

Certainly, Duterte has never hidden his obsessions. His dislike of ABS-CBN and the storied Lopez family who control the publicly listed TV station was well known. Similarly, with the US. In both cases his animus runs deep.

Full disclosure: my “Ceritalah” column is syndicated with ABS-CBN and I have appeared many times on “Headstart”, the station’s early morning news show whose lead news anchor Karen Davila – a good friend – terrorises all her guests with equal vigour.

Critics slam Duterte’s move to axe broadcaster ABS-CBN’s franchise

Still, the former Davao mayor’s relentless pursuit of the station combined with his administration’s attacks on online news portal Rappler – run by former CNN anchor Maria Ressa – and the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper underlines his disregard for media freedoms and the critical importance of checks and balances to executive power.

The solicitor-general claimed that ABS-CBN has engaged in “highly abusive practices”, including allegedly violating foreign ownership caps. For the record, media companies in the Philippines must be 100 per cent locally owned.

The move against the US is even more dramatic, signalling the end to a checkered 120 year-long shared history. The VFA allowed American troops to be rotated into the Philippines for humanitarian assistance and military exercises. The two countries have other treaties, including the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty and the 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement – but both are moot without the VFA.

To be sure, Duterte has always been anti-American. As Davao mayor, he was reported to have been angered over a 2002 incident where US agents controversially extricated an American who allegedly detonated an explosive device in a local hotel, before authorities had a chance to interrogate the man.

As president, Duterte famously said that he was “separating” from the US – the Philippines’ former colonial master – seeking closer ties with China and Russia instead.

But defence cooperation with the Americans – facilitated by the VFA – continued.

Duterte – already seething at US criticism of his anti-drug campaign and other issues – vowed and then went ahead with the cancellation of the VFA, which will lapse in 180 days.

The VFA matters not only because it acts as a deterrent to Chinese aggression. The US also helps provide training and technical assistance to the Philippine military, including during the 2017 Marawi siege.

Duterte also claims that cancelling the VFA strengthens Philippine sovereignty and independence. But he has been deafeningly silent on China’s many violations of his country’s territory in the South China/West Philippine Sea.

Indeed, his insistence on doubling down with China is inexplicable given that most other Asean nations are trying to lessen their economic and political dependence on Beijing – especially since the onset of the coronavirus panic.

And as Locsin conceded in his testimony to the Philippines’ senate, “Terminating the VFA will negatively impact the Philippines’ defence and security arrangements”. He also noted that the US is the Philippines third-largest trading partner – bilateral trade stands at some US$8.7 billion – its biggest export market, the fifth-largest source of investment and third-largest source of tourism, with about 1 million arrivals in 2018 alone.

Moreover, Duterte’s actions jeopardise the interests of the 3.3 million-strong Philippine diaspora in the US, who contribute 36.8 per cent of inbound remittances – making America the highest source country. And what about the 1.2 million Filipinos who work in business process outsourcing – many of whom are employed by American firms?

Philippine presidents only get one chance. Duterte may well have missed his.