IT IS correct to say that we deserve a president better than Tatay Digong unfortunately this is not how 16 million Filipinos see things. And the sadder thing is that some of those who did not vote for him are either ambivalent in their attitude towards the administration or they simply do not care at all.
The last State of the Nation is about to be given but we know that there is nothing new in all this annual rhetorical exercise. But we must consider whatever “rubbish” we will again hear – as a hard lesson to learn from. Those who fought tooth and nail for Tatay Digong in 2016 should go into much deeper reflection about their choice.
Tatay Digong is not the solution. If ever we find his administration unsatisfactory it is because his current government is a symptom of our much deeper problems.
Where we are tells us that in our country “hope” and “despair” are almost identical. So that while then-mayor Duterte was a candidate viewed by some as a symbol of hope, he was at the same time a choice born out of despair for the many failures of past systems.
But we should have learned further that no matter how much aggressive posturing a president would put up in public, there are social forces stronger than the government that a good president must fight. I hope we have learned a lesson that the so-called oligarchy is not limited to those who are existing in power and that even a once upon a time opposition from the margins is equally capable of making his own new oligarchy.
Tatay Digong must also teach us a lot of things about human rights. We speak of human rights, but it is not just some government agencies that are “not respectful” of it. Even private establishments and institutions, universities and churches are sometimes not good examples as far as the implementation of due process is concerned. Our government has taken advantage of our own ambiguous perspectives towards human rights to justify its political agenda. For what we criticize reflects our own “double standard.” We demand protection of rights, but we are not good promoters of it in our own local and private spheres. That is why though Tatay Digong has many critics, still he has admirers in the open and more in hiding. Many people clap for him in silence because he has “executed” the dirty job which some of us would like to do but “cannot.”
I see the reason and I still support the fight against some of the questionable ways by which governance is carried out in this country. But we will never win our battle if our strategy is partial and always one-directional and outward-looking.
There must also be that sense of introspection whenever we deal with our enemy. Human rights violations are an enemy but not just to the extent that it is not carried out correctly in procedural terms. It is an enemy insofar as there remains high poverty incidence in Mindanao. It is not enough to defend the poor, there must be a way to move at least some of them out from their condition. It may be true that the current administration has not succeeded in living up to the expectations of some Filipinos.
But so long as these issues continue to be unaddressed, the archetype of Duterte will emerge time and again. His spirit will always be conjured by the hopeless, and another Duterte can be the “new medium.”
I must give a special address to the “religious.” Tatay Digong did not win were it not for the support of some priests and even bishops. Some of the clergies are fighting in good faith against the perceived human rights violations committed against alleged drug users. However, the administration also has an “ace” against some members of the religious who are not so good examples when it comes to transparency and human rights.
Tatay Digong will eventually find his eternal solace beyond the stars, but the Philippines shall continue crying for and hoping in that change that has not yet come. And so long as this is the case, false prophets and political scammers will always abound.