Duterte refuses to ‘metamorphose’
IT’S sad to note that, instead of uniting the people, President Duterte seems to be content to keep us divided. During the presidential campaign in early 2016, Mr. Duterte came out with a style that was pugnacious and antagonistic. It was a rough and ugly way of campaigning but it worked for him.
Before his inauguration, Duterte stated that he would be a healing president. He has turned out to be a very divisive one.
The question is why be divisive when it’s probably easier to unite the people. The circumstances favor being a consensus-builder, a leader for all, and a father figure that is loved, not feared or hated.
Against all odds Duterte won with a plurality of 38 percent, making him another minority president as all his post-Cory Aquino predecessors. The country’s electoral system doesn’t have a runoff election between the two top vote-getters, as done in other nations that have multi-candidate elections. This is to make sure the winner gets at least 50 percent plus one vote, meaning a majority winner.
At his State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) last week, Mr. Duterte spoke oddly about garnering “50 plus one.” Is he saying he got elected by 50 percent plus one vote of the people?
If he’s saying that, then he’s mistaken. He only got 38 percent of the vote, making him just a plurality, not a majority, president.
In that SONA, he also said he doesn’t care about the “49 percent.” That’s an irresponsible thing to say; he’s supposed to be president of all 100 million Filipinos.
Duterte brought to the presidency his bullying style of government. Many politicians have allowed themselves to be brought to heel, humbling themselves enough to pledge allegiance to him, creating a “supermajority” in Congress. With that, the country is in the president’s pocket. But there are dissenters. Although unorganized and lacking cohesion, anti-Duterte citizens exist nevertheless. What was left of the opposition, the Catholic Church, academics, professionals (like some lawyers), and social media warriors protest many of Duterte’s initiatives. But many others swallow their self-respect and just accept the Duterte status quo quietly.
Actually, this environment gives Mr. Duterte a golden opportunity to be a leader for all. He enjoys wide acceptance for now despite his controversial actions and pronouncements. Opportunity knocks on his door, daring him to dump his anti-social and feudal ways, his shift to Communist countries as allies, his unwinnable “war” on drugs, and other policies that are alienating citizens and other power sectors like the military.
But Duterte refuses to be Mr. Nice Guy and instead insists on being a modern-day feudal lord, always snarling and full of spite. It seems he has a big chip on his shoulder, with a hundredand-one previous slights to be avenged against his perceived offenders.
He promised to “metamorphose” but reneged on that promise. He’s like the scorpion who can’t change because it’s his nature to be what he is.
With his popularity, he’s in a favorable situation to be more accommodating of others’ opinions, more tolerant of other ideological, philosophical or political persuasions, and more willing to be amiable and conciliatory. But he refuses.
Truly, Mr. Duterte has a grand opportunity to give his grim reputation a face-lift and make himself universally loved and appreciated. Based on his last SONA, that seems unlikely as he continues with his feudal, divisive ways. Too bad.
*** Tantrum Ergo. The President’s SONA last week takes the cake for extreme boorishness, reckless rhetoric, and distasteful imagery. A social media friend asked why I didn’t call out Duterte for his utterance of a vulgar Visayan word. Actually, I didn’t catch the Visayan word because I didn’t know it nor its meaning. It turns out a great number of people on social media got really offended by the word. Mr. Duterte, why dost thou refuse to change thy ways?