IT IS customary for President Duterte to be flying to Davao City almost every weekend to be with partner Honeylet and daughter Kitty. I can imagine how he eager he is to go home. But he just can’t. He is the president. The huge work to be done is so tremendous. He has to stay put while the hidden enemy, Covid 19 is sending many of our countrymen to hospitals, and many whom just like in the song Mona Lisa “they just lie there and they die there”.
Do you still remember this? When President Rodrigo Duterte even before he was inaugurated, he tasked the rank and files of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to already unsheathe their sword, so to speak, and jump into action. He launched Operation Tokhang. Thousands were killed and tens of thousands surrendered. The police and including the military have a different enemy now. It is unseen.
The president is waging war in many fronts. Just last week eleven brave soldiers were killed when they engaged the Abu Sayaf in Patikul, Sulu. Earlier, Duterte stressed he wanted to end the group’s banditry and kidnapping activities. So, he sent his marching orders. “Pulbusin na ang bandidong Abu Sayaf!” Immediately thousands of troops were fielded in two locations, Sulu and Basilan two known lairs of the terrorist group. And many government operations and skirmishes were reported. Both the government troopers and the Abu Sayaf suffered casualties.
It was a no letup punitive action taken by both the military and police. And the terrorist group appeared to have caused many bombings on different areas that claimed several lives and injuring innocent civilians. That seems to be the reaction to the president ‘s call to action. Duterte was seething in anger and ordered more troops fielded.
Another area where President Duterte should focus is the pervasive graft and corruption which became so institutionalize in government offices. Not even the fate suffered by top government officials who were jailed after that Janet Napoles affair failed to deter high ranking officials. Now certain sectors are suspicious that somehow a portion of the appropriated P275 billion to fight the outbreak may again line up pockets of some officials.
President a Duterte is fighting a war of three fronts. The Abu Sayyaf and the New People’s Army, the pervasive graft and government and the biggest of which is Corona virus. He is in his last two years in Malacanang presiding on the fate of this nation. History will either praise or condemn when he will pack permanently his things, vacate the palace and go home to his beloved Davao City.