A VERY UNLIKELY CRITIC of President Duterte on his first 100 days is former president Fidel V. Ramos. FVR was the only person whose hands Duterte shook before he took the rostrum to be sworn in as president last June 30 and whom he credited for having persuaded him to run. He’s also Duterte’s personal envoy in seeking a dialogue with China on the country’s territorial dispute over West Philippine Sea.
Thus, the wound must be deeper when FVR’s assessment was that the Philippine team was “losing badly” in its first 100 days. Published as an editorial, signed by FVR, in the “Manila Bulletin” of Oct. 8, it called Duterte’s performance as “disappointing.” Instead of “hitting the ground running,” the administration “got stuck in controversies about extrajudicial killings” and used cuss words, from the president, instead of civilized language.
Instead of promptly shooting back, Malacañang said it would look into FVR’s comments. Watch if the reply will be (a) guns blazing, (b) polite rebuttal, or (c) silence. The critic is not a senator or an entertainment person but the man whom Duterte has credited for the presidential seat he occupies.
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ILBO and FVR’s word
TWO WORDS getting around these days among those fascinated with language used by the powerful or famous:
--ILBO, for Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order, which has been issued against Sen. Leila de Lima and six others.They can’t leave the country without permission from the Department of Justice. Differs from HDO, or hold departure order, which only the court can issue.
-- “Discombobulating,” which FVR used to describe Duterte’s statements on ties with U.S. He could’ve used “disturbing” or “disconcerting” but it’s more impressive.
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Agot won’t budge
Agot Isidro, the TV-movie actress who called President Duterte a “psychopath” and advised he should see a psychiatrist, is reportedly not taking back what she said. And her post on Facebook has been circulated and re-published in news stories about her swipe at Duterte.
To show she’s not daunted by his defenders in social media, she posted a quote condemning violence, which she must have lifted (words and art) from www.healthyplace.com, author unknown: “If you need violence to enforce your ideas, your ideas are worthless.”
The people inflicting violence on her for the advice to Duterte are nameless/unidentified people in social media. If words could kill, she had already been illegally executed sometime ago.
[bzzzzz@sunstar.com.ph or paseares@gmail.com]