For Jesus and Duterte, a nation of believers

But if something terrible happened last night too late for this column, then there may be no 18-millionstrong “Traslación,” with most believers or the Catholic Church itself spooked by the late-breaking incident. And if the untoward happens today, even more distressing.

But not surprising. Plainly, it’s impossible to secure multimilliondevotee events like the Nazarene procession of the cross- bearing Christ, and Cebu’s Sinulog festival extolling the Holy Child Jesus.

How in heaven’s name can even 100,000 cops and troops—15 times the number actually deployed—lock down a crowd 180 times that number.

For most participants enduring burning sun, jostling crowds and petty criminals, plus maybe unseasonal showers and, God forbid, homicidal intruders, only faith in the divine object of devotion leads them to put themselves in heaven’s hands for a day or more of devotion.

That is not to say the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines need not deploy 5,600 cops and 1,000 troops to secure the Nazarene’s sojourn, plus aerial drones, random searches, street clearing and, thanks to the Department of Health and charity organizations, medical facilities.

Target hardening and emergency readiness are not only imperative, but also reassuring. Never make it easy for extremists to ramp up the body count.

So, kudos to PNP, AFP, DOH, the Caritas charity, the Philippine National Red Cross, and other involved entities.

If martyrdom means proclaiming the faith in the face of threats even to one’s life, then there was some of that in the many millions who went to of the Black Nazarene, processed with more than a thousand such icons on Sunday, queued to kiss the original statue at Quirino yesterday, and bore it to Quiapo today.

The trust of 80 million

Like 18 million devotees looking to Jesus of Nazareth, 80 million Filipinos brim with faith in President Rodrigo Duterte.

Since September 2016, nearly three months since he took office, four respondents, statistically standing for the citizenry, have expressed trust and approval for the Chief Executive.

In the latest December 10-15 poll, 80 percent approved of his performance, unchanged from September and up from 78 percent in June. And 82 percent manifested trust, against 80 percent in the previous poll.

Those grades are down from the 86 percent early in his term, as normally happens after the so-called honeymoon period. But ratings have stayed higher than those of his past three predecessors.

The polls are even more impressive, considering the spate of media, Church, yellow, red and international criticism over thousands of killings in the anti-drug war. Plus: Western disapproval of Duterte’s close ties with China, echoed by local proAmerican groups. Add destabilization by opposition and communist groups, and public disdain over the President’s open support for some

impacted his ratings, but probably more positively than negatively, since threats tend to make the citizenry rally around the Commander in Chief and the army. Also boosting popularity is surging economic growth and government spending, as well as falling unemployment, self-rated poverty and hunger.

A further factor in Duterte’s record ratings is his superior performance compared with his predecessor Be Stations survey reported yesterday showed that 70 percent of Filipinos found Duterte’s rule to be better than Aquino’s, with 22 percent rating them the past administration superior.

The same poll had 86 percent saying that the country is headed in the right direction, and 69 percent - ate for a president.

Since Aquino’s approval and trust ratings ranged between 45 and 80 percent during his term, Duterte’s superior performance should elevate his survey grades higher than his predecessor’s.

The second year challenge

Will the President sustain his ratings this year? Among leaders since Corazon Aquino three decades ago, only Fidel Ramos enjoyed high grades only dropping in 1995, due to a rice shortage. And what boosted the exgeneral’s popularity was a one-two punch in governance initiatives, which other presidents didn’t have.

After ending long brownouts inherited from the first Aquino regime, Ramos launched sweeping economic reforms, which broke up airline and telecoms monopolies, and opened the country to global trade and investment. That lifted growth, jobs and services.

Does Duterte have an Act 2 after and terrorism, recasting foreign re revving up public spending? You bet.

Late last year, the launching of the Clark airport upgrading and leg of the train service to Clark, is planned public works.

Others due for approval and rollout include: one or more upgraded linking Diliman and Bonifacio, in the east; and the rebuilding of for swathes of war-torn rubble.

On security, war’s end has unleashed a better-armed, battle-hardened military against extremists and insurgents, with continued martial law and the terrorist tagging of communist rebels further intensifying military offensives.

Lastly, the electorate’s mandate for Charter change toward federal year’s constituent assembly.

In His mission on earth, Jesus rekindled His followers with His faith after His Ascension by sending the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

After the agony and triumph of his war against drugs and terror, President Duterte revs up national transformation with infrastructure and Charter change.

Can he deliver and keep his ratings up?

Well, building a nation, like propagating a religion, demands not just an inspiring leader, but committed, persevering disciples.

Whether President Duterte succeeds or fails shall be as much our challenge as it is his.