Clash of DU30’s titans

While he has categorically stated that he is not a communist, President Duterte has unequivocably said he is a leftist. Always had been, he added for emphasis. If that is where his heart is, the proof is ample even without emphasis. He initiated a unilateral ceasefire with the Reds, brought some of them into his Cabinet, and is now making headway in peace talks with them in Norway.

Then there is his thing with China, a leading communist state in whose direction and favor Duterte is loudly announcing a supposed pivot, both in verbiage and body language, to the consternation and expense of the United States. He is, in fact, right now in China trying to strike a bargain that, with so many imponderables, is leaving everyone back home on tenterhooks.

But Duterte is not a complete leftist, at least not to the extent that he also harbors a rightist streak with his unqualified support of the police, a state apparatus to maintain law and order, as well as the military, the hidden boot of government authority. Since taking power, Duterte has spent more than half of his time visiting and talking to men in uniform than he probably has elsewhere.

Being, thus, so close to his heart, both the left and the armed services might fairly be considered the titans of Duterte's affection. But just as there are in many families a so-called sibling rivalry, there will also likely be similar opposing tugs at his heart for attention, that is if they have not happened already. In all likelihood, an incident while Duterte was away is worth this consideration.

A large group of impatient leftists, no doubt inspired by the anti-American rhetoric of Duterte, just could not wait and leave it up to their idol to deal with the United States. They want to oust the US already. And by themselves. And so, without even waiting for Duterte to come home from China and see what he has achieved, the new spoiled brats in the block, always looking for trouble, attacked the US embassy in Manila with sticks and stones and some paint.

Caught in the middle were Duterte's other favorites, the police. Armed with sticks and shields, which they had been admonished not to use in deference to an ill-conceived and unrealistic policy of maximum tolerance, they were no match for the marauding Reds and their sticks and stones and paint, until something eventually snapped and the police retaliated.

They started to beat back. That is what their truncheons are for. One policeman, surrounded inside a police van by a lynching mob, panicked. He revved up the engine, slammed down the accelerator, and went back and forth through the angry crowd, hitting and running down some of the leftists. It was truly a horrific sight as caught on TV.

But it would not surprise anyone who has had experienced seeing or getting caught in the troubles created by these troublemakers to know that there will always be many who might secretly cheer what happened, especially since it was clear what provoked the fracas. They asked for it, they got it. Unfortunately for the police, we all know where this is going.

Still, it would be interesting to wait and see what Duterte has to say about the incident, considering that it involves two titans who apparently have a firm hold on his affections, each tugging from either side of him. As he said so himself, he is a leftist. But as he has also assured his policemen time and again, all they need is just to do their job and if they meet resistance and their lives come into danger, then they have to do what needs to be done. And he will go to jail for them.

All the video footages show clearly who initiated the trouble and whose lives first came into danger. But more than how anyone may break open the issue and analyze it, the one thing that needs to really be assessed is the principle of maximum tolerance. Born of the student protests, it has seen its use abused. Now it is being exclusively used as a battering ram against the police. Up to what point is maximum tolerance? If it has to take Duterte to clarify this, then he should.