Bullying is shameful
A bully, according to my antiquated Britannica-Webster Dictionary (1988 edition) is a tough browbeating person; one habitually cruel to those who are weaker. The millennial among my children from whom I asked for a quick modern-day meaning of the word gave me an internet definition no different. It is therefore observable that the word has kept its meaning despite the passing of time. As I have seen it, a bully in elementary school is usually either the one with a bigger build or whose parents are rich or hold high office. There are also bullies among children with criminal parents. Thank God, there are very few bullies and they have assumed toughie character more by circumstance than choice. But a bully does not always have to be the bigger boy in a group. He can also be a brawny grown man or a person with high stature.
We hear every once in a while about a government official perceived to be a bully. Our own Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña was not spared this tag. I remember that incident involving a certain Willer Sanchez, now deceased, Osmeña was called a bully when he reportedly scattered the merchandise of the vendor on the sidewalk where Sanchez was selling. Some claimed Osmeña stomped on the barbecue while others belied such accusation. Sure,
there were tremendous subsequent efforts on the part of City Hall to justify the assault but the image of Osmeña's being a bully stuck.
Two other incidents somehow cemented Osmeña's unpleasant reputation. The first took place when he allegedly kicked out a media man from a social gathering. On one hand, the radio personality should not have crashed that reported private function but on the other hand the party host could have dealt with the situation without the loud, arrogant voice that tended more to humiliate the radioman than hurt his feelings. The other incident involved a captain of a mountain barangay. The captain was supposed to attend an awarding ceremony in City Hall that happened not long after an election where he supported another mayoralty candidate. For no apparent reason, Osmeña shouted “get out, get out” and bowled the captain out. I was informed that an Ombudsman decision reprimanding Osmeña, in a manner of speaking, validated his bully character.
Few days ago, there came to our island the president of the republic. The speech of President Rodrigo Duterte was carried live by news outlets and recorded by many. It is the nature of the president to peel away from a written speech and speak extemporaneously. Somewhere in his off-the-script exposition, he uttered words that could only come from a bully. He publicly announced that he would slap the face of Osmeña if they could not come to some kind of agreement. By what legal authority can our president slap our mayor? The vast powers of the president do not bestow upon him the right to embarrass a lower-ranked government official. Not even a stretching of the “doctrine of residual power” coined by Justice Irene Cortes in the case of Marcos vs Manglapus may be helpful. Indeed, Duterte may be immune from suit while sitting as president but his arrogant bullying of Osmeña irreparably stains the honor and dignity of his high office.
The way the president treated the mayor may not be different from the way the mayor treated lower-caste personalities in the past. Because their kindred acts demean human beings, I am ashamed that they are our officials.