Duterte's earth-shaking moves and pronouncements

The task that president-elect Rudo (for Rodrigo Duterte) seems to love doing, both during the campaign and now that he is awaiting formal proclamation and inauguration, is to jolt the people with such threatening pronouncements as killing drug lords and murderers, bringing back the death penalty and execute heinous criminals by hanging, or shooting by musketry. But those who know him well would tell us all that Mayor Digong is far from merely joking. The new president with a very strong mandate from more than 16 million Filipino voters has the right, even the duty to make himself clear and to tell the people what he intends to do in the next six years. 

The announcement to abolish the BIR, the Bureau of Customs and the LTO pleases many but begs the question of who will do its tasks. The invitation to CPP/NPA/NDF to nominate the next secretaries of the Departments of Agrarian Reforms, Labor and Employment, of Social Services and Development, and of Environment and Natural Resources has caused many businessmen and investors so many sleepless nights. The announcement to allow the burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani has caused many raised eyebrows among the thousands of so-called victims of the Martial Law regime, and the many others who strongly believe that the late dictator was not a hero  at all.

The pronouncement by Mayor Digong to pardon the former president GMA has also provoked a heated argument among those who hated the now detained ex-president and those who believe that she is just a victim of PNoy's vengeful persecution. GMA herself, while thanking the presumptive president, declined the offered pardon for it would require her to plead guilty to the charge of  plunder. And she is not in any manner inclined to admit her guilt. At any rate, pronouncements as controversial as that proposed GMA pardon would always make good materials for headlines and news. That gives us an indication that the next six years will be truly engaging as the years of so much excitement on what comes out from the mouth the president.

Mayor Duterte's character and personality, his street language and his colorful cursing are good copies for news reporting. His style of saber rattling and shooting from the hips never stops to irritate his critics and provokes more resentment from his enemies. But it spices up the talks among the men and women of the streets, the anecdotes in the barbershops and the gossips in the beauty parlors. The mayor's favorite target these days are the bishops and the religious leaders whom he threatened to expose on some unsavory sex lives and alleged philandering and immorality. Somehow Mayor Digong is like Pilosopo Tasyo who never stopped irritating Padre Damaso, Padre Salvi and Capitan Tiago, with his antics and philosophical tongue.

This characteristic irreverence of the next head of state and head of  government may have its positive impact and implications in the short-term. But, with all due respect, if such spontaneous outbursts exceed the bounds of presidential propriety, it may cause undue antagonism, and thus, lessen the effectiveness of our top national leader. We shall give the presumptive president all the privilege of doubt. We shall allow him maximum leeway and even pray for his success. But we hasten to interject a gentle reminder that there is a limit to the capacity of the nation to withstand earth-shaking moves and pronouncements. Somehow, somewhere, there is a breaking point.What matters most is that we should make sure that a series of jolting will not break the nation.