Sketches Gutter talk
He has a mouth, he speaks the language of the working class, what you see is what you get – take it or leave it.
This was the initial reaction of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to the outrage that greeted his remarks about the 1989 riot at the Davao prison in which a visiting Australian lay missionary was held hostage, raped and killed.
And this being an election season, Duterte said Filipinos could always vote for his “spokening English” and “coño” rivals in the presidential race, but he wasn’t going to wash his mouth with soap in contrition.
Yesterday, however, it looked like his handlers managed to knock some sense into Duterte, and he finally issued a formal apology “to the Filipino people.” He meant no disrespect to women, the chastened mayor said as he promised to protect everyone, particularly crime victims, with his life, whether or not he wins.
His toughie daughter Sara, in an effort to bolster his appeal for a chance to serve, let on that she herself had been raped. Sara, a candidate for Davao mayor, who once famously slapped around the city sheriff who ignored her order to defer the demolition of squatter shanties, did not give details about the rape. But she mentioned it to emphasize that she was not offended by her father’s remark. I doubt if there are many rape victims who share
Inday Sara’s forbearance. But the damage control was necessary if Duterte wanted to retain his lead in the surveys, which widened in the April 5-10 poll taken by Pulse Asia and ABS-CBN.
*** The survey was conducted before Duterte’s rape comment. We’re waiting for the next survey to show if the controversial remarks would pull down the ratings of the front-runner.
So far, however, people I know to be pro-Duterte have not changed their mind about him. They are buying his explanation that his comment – especially when taken in the context of his long explanation of the unfortunate events that led to it – was ordinary gutter talk (and Borat-type, in-your-face, un-PC humor) from a kanto boy who grew up in a mean neighborhood.
Being a Tondo girl myself, I regret to say they are right about the gutter talk. Having covered the crime beat for several years, I believe that even certain police officers (some of them now deceased) could have uttered similarly offensive comments in that situation. And I know Duterte’s style of crime busting is not that uncommon even in Metro Manila.
One cop (now dead) notorious for summary executions shot a thug through the mouth. When the cop learned that the guy miraculously survived, the cop sent word that he would finish off the thug, who promptly vanished.
There are Filipinos – cops and civilians alike – who believe that when it comes to fighting crime, the only language bad guys understand is the language of Dirty Rody. It’s the same in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, where you might be surprised to find out how high up sympathy goes for the methods employed by “The Butcher” Jovito Palparan in fighting the New People’s Army and its non-combatant supporters.
The Pulse Asia- ABS CBN poll released yesterday showed Duterte enjoying a comfortable lead in Mindanao and Metro Manila as well as in all classes, with the widest margin among the ABC crowd.
It was the same for the front-runner in the vice presidential race, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is getting flak for his father’s human rights record and ill-gotten wealth. Senator Bongbong had the widest lead among the ABC crowd and was the top choice in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.
*** Duterte’s attitude toward women is also not uncommon in this country. While we like to describe our society as matriarchal, full of spoiled mama’s boys and “under the saya” or henpecked husbands, the macho culture is actually very much alive, and not only in impoverished communities.
That culture, which regards women mainly as sex objects and second-class citizens, is the reason why domestic violence, gender discrimination and sexual harassment persist despite tough laws against those offenses. There are barangay officials even in Manila who refuse to assist battered women, telling the victims they should settle domestic feuds at home.
Filipino women and girls must contend with gender-related offenses in addition to other threats against their personal safety.
Our entire country is mostly one big, tough neighborhood – except for the tightly secured, exclusive enclaves of the .001 percent. Even the middle-class communities are not safe. Especially if the predators are cops themselves, as in the case of that poor businesswoman from Cavite whose neighbor is accused of murdering her and putting her body in a drum so he and his cohorts could rob her.
It would be interesting to find out how Duterte would deal with those three police suspects and their cohorts. Yesterday he was busy with damage control, and asking people to give him a chance.
At the same time, however, he was his usual pugnacious self, telling Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorely that he gave her slain compatriot “instant justice” and she should just “shut up.”
Duterte’s rivals are rejoicing over his latest attack of foot-in-mouth disease. But will their jubilation be shared by most voters?
We’ve had two women presidents, and another woman is gunning for the job. The chief justice and the heads of two constitutional bodies are women. The glass ceiling has been broken in many fields.
Yet we have also sent to Malacañang a man with four (acknowledged) families. And we may yet send a man with testosterone overload to the presidency.