Rody to generals: ‘Oust me now if...’

If you no longer believe me, oust me now.” With that imperative President Rodrigo Duterte opened his meeting with the police-military brass in Malacañang Tuesday night. They were to confer on grave matters of state, he told newspaper columnists afterwards over late dinner. Topping their agenda was the Chinese Triads’ burgeoning narco-trade. Hard decisions had to be made. But first Duterte needed assurance of the generals’ confidence in his leadership. He was anxious that a senator’s claims about him stashing unexplained multibillion pesos was stirring up doubts in their minds. More so since that senator, an ex-navy man, was like them from the close-knit Philippine Military Academy. He had to get that out of the way, Duterte recounted. It would have been pointless to discuss anything more if he didn’t have their trust.

The spiel reveals what’s occupying the President’s mind. There’s a “yellow conspiracy” to bring him down, Duterte went on. Pointing to the past administration, he said the schemers “can’t accept electoral defeat and want to regain power.” Not only is the arch-foe-senator part of the cabal, but the supposedly independent Chief Justice and Ombudsman also were letting themselves be used. The former Anti-Money Laundering Council head too was in on it, as the senator’s source on the alleged bank deposits. They purportedly would have him impeached the same way “the yellows” did in 2012 to Chief Justice Renato Corona. But he would beat them to it by exposing their corruption, Duterte growled. Unlike them, he said, he has only at most P40 million saved up through the decades starting with inheritance from his parents’ lucrative ice plant which in those olden days was a monopolistic congressional franchise.

One wonders what kind of political intelligence Duterte is being fed. Malacañang Palace courtiers needlessly are unnerving him. To begin with, impeachment is next to impossible. It needs one-third of the House of Reps, or 98 of 293 members, to  formalize any charges. Duterte’s supermajority coalition there counts 286 versus a minority of only seven. Even if by miracle impeachment does get to the Senate for trial, it would take two-thirds, or 16 of 24 members, to convict. There are only six opposition senators against 17 pro. The numbers overwhelmingly negate impeachment. Besides, only once a year may an impeachment rap be filed. That happened only last Aug. The next long shot won’t come till late 2018, giving Duterte more than enough time to rest easy. So what’s bugging him?

Palace intriguers likely are whispering to Duterte supposed coup plots. There are always such evildoers around any President. They exploit his insecurities and the loneliness at the top, giving false info in order to make the President dependent on them – the easier to engage in crookedness. Their tricks are many: they even bribe presidential appointments staff to reveal to them his public appearances, and bodyguards to seat them nearby, for proximity to power is power itself. They poison his mind about military uprising like the one that toppled Marcos or putsches against Cory Aquino, generals’ withdrawal of support from Erap Estrada or mutinies a la Gloria Arroyo’s time. Yet those too look far-fetched. Ingredients are missing for a military strike: a last-straw national issue, a galvanizing leader, churches’ and business support, civil unrest, critical mass, media sympathy, good weather, perhaps even Uncle Sam. The senator didn’t even have public credibility – until Duterte began taking him seriously. Why bother with him if he has nothing to hide?

What should worry Duterte are the gut issues. Public support for his war on drugs is waning because of growing perceptions that mostly innocents and penurious are being killed. Government is under-spending; the transportation department responsible for thousands of infra-works has launched none; as of last Aug. it had used up only 18 percent of its budget. Bureaucratic corruption and incompetence are scaring away investments. Joblessness is worsening. Rural and Muslim youth radicalization is intensifying. In vicious cycle, the only work left for the idle poor is to peddle drugs, for which they get killed. Palace favorites escape punishment for allowing the smuggling of hundreds of kilos of shabu (meth) from China. Speaking of which, generals there are the very smugglers of shabu into the Philippines, to soften resistance to their sea-grabbing.

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The Senate majority and minority clashed this week over derogatory blog-casts against them. It was a pointless quarrel, for the online bashing was mostly by trolls. By definition, trolls are malicious posters of personal insults and fake news, usually paid but anonymous. Millennial entertainment celebrities are so used to trolls that they just publicly ask if those low-lives proudly can tell children about their work. Senators should learn from those young stars to ignore the cyber-bashers.

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Last day today of “Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag,” the musicale version of the social awakening cinema hit of the 1970s. Multi-awarded film and stage artist Joel Lamangan directs. Arman Ferrer stars as Julio Madiaga; Lara Maigue alternates with Sheila Valderrama-Martinez as Ligaya Paraiso. Two showings: 3 and 8 p.m., Kia Theater, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City. Tickets available at the box office.

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Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

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