RECYCLED Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno gave lame excuses in a television interview for President Duterte's flipflops on issues by saying that the candidate during the campaign period is much too different from the elected president.
Such shameful alibis in order to shield his boss from public recriminations and scrutiny!
The president probably suffers from personality disorder. Previously, he had a hard stance against the whole United States for reasons known only to him. He was very vocal and loud against its top leader and the joint exercises with the US troops stand to be cancelled, all because he was once denied a US visa?
Then, to gain political mileage perhaps, he confidently announced a pension hike for SSS pensioners only to dilly-dally on his signing a resolution to allow the increase. What gives, Mr. President, sir?
Consider also kamote Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Office and kenkoy Ernesto Abella, the presidential spokesperson, whose announcements are outrageous, trivial and inconsequential. I thought the boastful president appointed the best and the brightest? Is he making the decisions by himself or by the bulong of these hare-brained characters?
If Duterte will rely so much on the weak advice of his equally weak Cabinet, then he will soon become a lameduck president and lose his credibility altogether.
Some may refute this by saying his SWS ratings are high. These ratings do not reflect the feelings and sentiments of most Filipinos who are beginning to see the flaw in the already-flawed character of the chief executive.
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Alas, we have repeatedly experienced the pitfalls of electing a president who has reneged on election pledges.
President Duterte is no different from his predecessors. His promises were aplenty, only to fall on the homestretch. He started spewing out fire, the crowd loved the spectacle.
We hope that he continues to be firm and resolute in all his acts and pronouncements, not only on illegal drugs but also on a slew of acts of national import and significance. Meantime, we pray and wait.