Temper, temper

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HAS anyone in the opposition thought of making President Duterte lose his cool by constantly making him pikon?

Mr. Duterte has a temper. He’s used to getting his way by either throwing temper tantrums or intimidating his antagonists.

(Incidentally, “tantrum” and “temper tantrum” are two different things. When a child makes “alburoto” and bangs its head against the wall, that’s a tantrum. When an adult goes into a fit of anger, that’s a temper tantrum, and it’s usually preceded by “throws.” “Tantrum Ergo” is yet another thing; it’s the parting shot at the end of this column.)

A recent example of Duterte’s temper is his angry reaction to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s question whether he is behind the effort to unseat her as head of the judiciary. Without any pretense at niceties, he angrily declared himself as an enemy of Sereno.

He loses his cool easily. Self-restraint or subtlety is not among Duterte’s better qualities. When his critics were looking for tact from him, he thundered that he ran for president, not statesman. Diplomacy isn’t part of his personality.

Mr. Duterte tries to exude selfconfidence. He did win a large portion of the vote in 2016 and the margin between his votes and those of Mar Roxas was wide.

He didn’t win a majority of the votes, only 38 percent. But he acts like he won a majority, not just a plurality.

Which is a major flaw in our election rules that needs to be changed. To get a full mandate, a candidate must win a majority of the votes. And if no one does, there should be a runoff election between the two top vote-getters in order to come up with a majority winner.

In any case, Mr. Duterte should be more humble over his plurality victory. Or is his seeming self-confidence really a cover for insecurity?

As I’ve written many times, Duterte acts like a feudal lord. This is clear whenever he’s angry. He’s easily provoked. And his being pikon could be his Achilles heel, something the opposition can exploit.

As I write this, the object of Duterte’s latest tirade is Sereno, who’s under extreme pressure to step down as chief justice. Like others before her (Leila de Lima, Agnes Callamard, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, et al), Sereno has incurred Duterte’s ire because of her independence and refusal to play ball with the administration.

To my mind, Duterte has placed himself in a big bind by getting directly involved in the Sereno imbroglio. By virtually admitting the plot to oust Sereno has his blessing, he now has to make sure Sereno is indeed kicked out.

If pro-Duterte elements fail to oust Sereno, that would be a big blow to Duterte’s image. Failure to kick her out would send out the message that Duterte is not that all-powerful, that his grip on things is not air-tight.

Anti-Sereno forces have failed so far to intimidate her into resigning. The impeachment charges against her are weak and have put the senators, who would serve as an impeachment court, in a big bind, too.

That is why the quo warranto petition to get rid of Sereno for supposedly being unqualified for the job is so important. At this point, my hunch is that the justices will decide non-jurisdiction. But the final decision will depend on how much Duterte wants Sereno out. If he insists on getting rid of Sereno by any means necessary, the justices will twist the law to achieve that goal and risk the people’s wrath.

Sereno’s courage in the face of overwhelming pressure is making the effort to get rid of her a perilous proposition for the President.

*** Tantrum Ergo. If the Supreme Court justices decide in favor of the quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, that would be the most reckless and misguided act of their judicial careers. May the Almighty have mercy on their souls.