Every person is either a pessimist or an optimist — either looking at a glass half-empty or half- full, following the erstwhile philosophic of Harry Roque, the spokesman for the president or himself vis-a-vis Vice President Leni Robredo.
But John Maxwell, popular author of Christian motivational books that sometimes sound like Machiavelli was an invisible co-author, expounds that a leader has a distinction with a difference: he adjusts the sails, presumably or logically as the winds change direction.
President Duterte’s seems fixed, that is, temperament- wise. More than four years into his term that approaches the finish line, his default disposition has been the same throughout: temper, tantrum or threat.
He rarely does speak softly and carry a big stick, as one former American counterpart did; he thunders on and bludgeons his critics along the way. His voice alone and no other, except the choir echoes.
Did I say critics? More like the opposition which are one and the same, just as a neighbor and an enemy could be, as G.K. Chesteron,remarked in the wise, which makes theology of loving both likened to one’s tooth being pulled by a malpractising dentist.
That explains probably why Duterte is having a hard time showing even the a little kindness to his, well, critics, well meaning or not. Besides, it’s hard to determine who’s who really. As a veteran lawyer, though, Duterte can easily distinguish between an alibi and an excuse. The former is a crutch, the latter is a wheelchair. He thinks his critics or opponents are political PWDs walking or standing on wooden legs. Great real, boys or girls!
In fairness, the President is not a misogynist,as his critics would easily label him. He’s not. By using their same argument, you might as well call him a misandrist as well. Between a women hater and a man-hater, the issue should not be resolved by quantity alone or number.
Solita Monson, a Duterte non-fan, may be right. Duterte strikes others as a mysoginist because more women than men get his blowback because more women than men obviously are at odds with him, whether it’s about politics or about psychology, about being a bully or boorish.
That means for every two Leni that get under his skin, there’s only one Chel Diokno that ruffles his feather the wrong way. Dick Gordon sometimes joins the fray, but it’s more aberration but that’s immediately self-correcting. There’s the imbalance that wrongly tips the balance in favor of the fairer sex over the stronger one. St. Paul must be turning in his grave at the gender usurpation.
Duterte loves women, no doubt about that. He has indicated publicly this desire several times in the past , albeit inappropriately at times. You can’t blame him for that. Some men are terrribly clumsy at trying to express their deepest emotions to their opposite without poisoning them with the worse, not better, angels of their nature. It’s Abraham Lincoln’s theology, and Duterte would have none of that. Ignorance is bliss.
The simple lesson : you don’t cross Duterte’s path or cross-sword with him, whether man or woman, for any reason at all, you’re in good shape. You break that, you become Chel, Leni and Leila, following the route of the superlatives, southward and slippery.
Once upon a time, Duterte even admired the Veep’s beautiful legs. And he made that public. Leni probably got the creeps after that, the same way Princess Diana felt when she met the future U.S. president Donald Trump. She was vindicated, given Trump’s later bragadoccios that he had his way with women of all types, those with royal robes or simply disrobing for a song. Wolves in sheep’s garb.
With less than two years into Duterte’s retirement,the jury is still out as to whether he is either a pessimist or an optimist, a mysoginist or a misandrist. History will take care of that. And Duterte knows that victors write it.
That’s fair caveat as the country heads into the 2022 elections, Duterte knows all too well what’s at stake.
In the meantime, Duterte would do well to try listening less to the devil who whispers to him every now and then that his Veep is just a spare tire. It’s uncontitutional. She’s the next best person to lead this country in case he doesn’t cross the finish line in time.
Which means, he must do everything within his power to equip her for the job and edify her for the challenges that no one man or one woman alone can do. You can never underestimate the power of prayer of the next person for the job, especially backed up by Catholics. Even in heaven, majority rules.
Doing otherwise, as he unmistakeably has shown so far, is great disservice to the nation, and to his office.
It’s the Christmas season, and the proverbial Santa is checking twice who’s naughty or nice. When he’s in town, the President had better behave. For one, we need million doses of the anti-COVID 19 vaccine far more than our shallow pocket can afford contrary to the ongoing political advertisements.
For once, Duterte can be nice. Politics being the art of the possible, don’t be surprised at all. Rene Saguisag, a dilawan and critic, still hopes for some kind of redemption for his fellow Bedan. He says that as a patriot, not as a partisan.
