‘Snooty’ Rody

Incidentally, snootiness has synonyms that include haughtiness, arrogance, disdain, and pomposity.

By his own admission, President Rodrigo Duterte describes himself as a “snooty” kind of person. And also by his own definition of being “snooty,” President Duterte calls himself “snobbish” at times.

Using the Thesaurus in my Microsoft tools, I found “snobbish” is just one of the synonyms of the word “snooty.”

For example, the President cited, his being “snooty” comes out, especially if blindsided with a question or situation he is not aware of. Such snootiness has been showing itself in public when the former Davao City Mayor started as the president-elect of the country after he won the May 9 elections.

Incidentally, snootiness has synonyms that include haughtiness, arrogance, disdain, and pomposity.

This “snooty” Rody obviously came out anew in full steam last Monday, Sept. 5 during a pre-departure press conference he had at Davao International Airport before he left the country to attend the ASEAN Leaders’ summit meeting in Laos. In that press conference, the President was asked if he would be ready “to explain” to US President Barack Obama should the latter raise the issue of alleged extrajudicial killings in the ongoing anti-illegal drugs war in the Philippines.

Smarting from accusations of human rights violations, a fired up President Duterte let out a mouthful of his favorite expletives. Unfortunately, his vitriolic reaction got lost in translation. The finer nuances of President Duterte’s statements were loosely and roughly translated as direct attack at President Obama.

At the press conference after he attended the G-20 summit meeting in China, President Obama was asked to react on the alleged tirades on him by President Duterte whom he described as a “colorful guy” because of the latter’s much reported profanity-laced language in public speeches.

While saying he would definitely discuss the human rights issue with the Philippine leader “if and when” they meet, President Obama told the international media he was busy holed up in his own meeting with the G-20 leaders so he would leave the matter to his White House advisers.

As it turned out, the White House advisers of the US President decided to cancel at the last minute the oneon-one meeting at the sidelines of the ASEAN summit as requested by the Philippine side.

Accepting his remarks went overboard and disrupted the planned meet, President Duterte took it upon himself to personally reach out to President Obama. This he did in a brief chance he got to approach the US leader at the ASEAN-US meeting. He disclosed about his being able to tell President Obama he did not call the latter “son of a whore” as it was loosely translated from its Tagalog version to mean the US leader.

In a press conference upon his arrival last Saturday in Davao City after his state visit to Indonesia, President Duterte explained anew his controversial remarks. “I was complaining about the situation but I never directed any statement that was insulting or otherwise not good,” the President pointed out.

“But if you say I ‘have to explain’ and that is why it went well… nauna ako. So I raised the ante immediately. That’s my character,” the President cited, without any tinge of regret or remorse for his outburst on how he answered the question that got him riled up.

“I do not answer – maybe to the press for information – but I do not have an obligation to please everybody or to please one person. But if you’re a Filipino, I am at your service because I work for you. I receive my keep for the day from the pocket of the people,” the President stressed.

This is why, he said, he has no rancor or anger at the press for doing their job to report. He took the occasion anew to assuage the media to feel free to criticize him for as long as these are based on facts and the truth.

During The STAR anniversary courtesy call to him last Aug. 3 at Malacañang, President Duterte impressed upon us the same assurances to protect the freedom of the press in our country. It was also in the same occasion he repeated his problem as a very “snooty” person ever since he was young. The President fondly recalled again as a young man he got into a lot of trouble because of this personality flaw he never outgrew.

His unknown character as a very “snooty” person perhaps is the reason, President Duterte explained why many people who do not know him well misunderstand or could not understand where he is coming from.

Then Mayor Duterte who attended The STAR roundtable interview for all presidential candidates on the last week of the campaign period last May made the same admission of his being “snooty” even if he is politician. His reputation in public precedes him as a rough-talking persona.

Although he projected the same foul-mouthed candidate during the presidential campaign, the former Davao City Mayor beat his four rivals as predicted by pre-polls surveys several weeks before the May 9 elections.

But I met a completely different Duterte in that very first encounter with him. Meeting him for the first time, we found him very humble, respectful and gentleman in person. He called us women editors – most much younger than him – as “Ma’am” and addressed as “Sirs” our male editors.

He told us he has donated to Caritas, his favorite charity, P1,000 per expletive that comes out of his mouth in public as a way to cut down his expletives during the last stretch of the campaign. The Mayor then promised he would try his best to be “presidential” and in “best behavior” if ever he wins the election.

When I met him again – now installed as President three months later at Malacañang for The STAR anniversary call – his first greeting upon seeing me again while shaking my hands: “Ma’am, I have been a good boy!”

As the country’s Chief Executive for the 75th day in office, President Duterte apparently could not still shake off his being “snooty.” It transforms him like a fire-breathing dragon once unwittingly triggered by someone or something that riles him.

Apparently, however, President Duterte manages well to put under control his being “snooty” through these years. Otherwise, he would not have lasted this long in politics if he did not.

His being “snooty” combined with his profanity-laced expletives have thus been causing him to fall all over the places. But our nation could not afford “snooty Rody” to fall flat on his face. That “snooty” persona must be reined in.