Gonzaga: Duterte’s handumanan

Gonzaga: Duterte’s handumanan

HANDUMANAN (LEGACY). The word that brings to mind precious objects, land, jewelries, gold, silver, diamonds, priceless works of arts or antiques on the one hand, memories, ideas, ideals, encapsulated in books, or written documents on the other hand. For the poor it may simply be a work animal or livestock. Whatever it conjures, handumanan definitely means something valuable left behind by a significant other for someone.

So what is the ordinary Pinoy’s handumanan from President Rodrigo Roa Duterte? Let’s tackle this question on a multi-level approach. At the personal level, Duter’s legacy lies in first, popularising pedestrian, “kanto” language, that came complete with cursing or “pagmumura.” We see this influence and now enculturated practice at all age levels, on Facebook and other social media platforms. Barely a year into his presidency, it became “cool” even to educated Pinoys and religious ministers to curse and throw gross insults when dealing with “Dilawans,” or anti-administrations. I have been shocked to read of feeds from respectable doctors, pastors, and even UP Alumna, resorting to foul language, calling our honorable, highly educated president “tanga.”

A second handumanan is peasantisation of the Office of the President. The late President Ramon MAgsaysay initiated this move--open Malacañang Palace to the “masa”, our grassroots people. Magsaysay reached out to the pumuluyo, the first known president of and for the people. But before this populist governance could spread out to the provinces, it was nipped in the bud by the fatal airplane crash death of Ramon Magsaysay. Well, we are now on the 3rd year of Duterte’s governance. Clear to us in the way ordinary folks have been brought to Malacanang Palace, or better yet, how Malacañang of the South has been buttressed with the institution of Malacañang-like set up in Davao City.

Closely related to peasantisation of the presidency are clear moves that supplanted Metro Manila’s bright boys with hitherto unknown “Promdis”--Mindanaoans largely from Davao, former classmates/schoolmates of Duterte, boyhood/teenage friends, or staff from Davao like Sen. Bato. Some may argue, this is within the spirit of the Local Government Code, of decentralisation. Still, it is arguably a clear move away from the appointment into his cabinet, and bureaucracy of loyal Cebuano speaking cohorts.

Perhaps the more radical Duterte measure, and “hi-impact” move, is to Personalized Governance. He clearly moved away from “we” to “I”, transforming the presidency to virtual patronage system. Thus, we read, hear and see his pronouncements, highlighting his personal power and authority, though not really backed up by law.

Speaking to a gathering of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, in Davao City on January 17, 2020: Duterte said he wanted “to see these billionaire (Manny Pangilinan and Zobel de Ayala) inside prison,” but “this time in the same manner that Marcos had incarcerated his opponents.”

“One night, I will arrest them all, and you will just stay there. When will I release you? When I want to,” the President said. “It was 27 years for Marcos (sic), I will make mine 30 years, you sons of b*tches.”

From his many pronouncements, adlibs, quick repartees, speeches, one can easily infer proof that Duterte did not just receive the mantle of presidency, but instituted to the hilt, patronage system in the Philippines. He is no mere president, but “Grand Patron”, Lord (as Lord of the Manor of Old). The dispensing of goods and benefits from the barangay , city/provincial level to the region, national line agencies, and the Congress, funds and grants are dispensed by Duterte like a magnanimous grand patron to his ‘protectorate’-followers, and clients.

Another handumanan is Duterte’s disregard of the “co-equal “status of the judiciary, legislative and executive branches of government. As personalised Grand Lord, Duterte considered it within his power to order the judiciary and the legislative departments to ‘fastrack’ his banner projects, or urgent concerns. Consider for example, the way he has directed the course of the water services contracts of the two leading private companies, the Maynilad and Manila Water. The alleged onerous provisions include the non-interference by the state in setting water rates, the non-payment of corporate income tax and their compensation claims to the government for their losses. According to the president, “If the two water companies reject the new agreement being proposed by his administration, he would cancel the existing deal, nationalise the water distribution system and file “airtight” cases of economic plunder, economic sabotage and large-scale estafa against the concessionaires and their owners.

“I am very sure that in the hands of a competent prosecutor, I could get a conviction for plunder. But once the case is filed for estafa, on a large scale, there is no bail allowed. I would love to see these son of a b*tch billionaires behind bars,” he said in his speech.

Beyond personal to communal interests, Duterte’s legacy lies in breaking down the integrity of our judicial system, what we know as due process of law. This aspect of Duterte’s unique legacy to the nation, will be delineated in my succeeding piece.

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