If you could give President Duterte a Christmas gift, what would it be?

It’s always hard to choose a Christmas gift for friends who have everything, and even harder if he happens to hold the highest position in the land. This is the first Christmas of Rodrigo Roa Duterte as President of the Philippines. His

simplicity probably makes it even harder for his friends and supporters to think of a gift that he would need and want. But then again, gift-giving in this beautiful season is best when it comes from the heart. We should always remember the most important reason we celebrate Christmas, which is to honor the humble birth of Jesus Christ. With this in mind, if you could give the President a Christmas gift what would you give him?

Atty. Katrina Legarda, board of trustee, Child Protection Network

The gift of an eraser — so he can accept his past (by erasing it) and move on to unite the Filipinos in his love for the country, utilizing his innate ability to know what we and our children need.             

Jaime Ponce de Leon, director, Leon Gallery

I’d like President Duterte to keep up the good fight hence my gift is a one-year supply of Centrum vitamins to keep him strong and healthy and White Flower for pain and body aches, so he won’t miss photo-ops and meetings.

Teddyboy Locsin Jr., incoming Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations

I want to give Duterte white suspenders made by Hickok. Hickoks are the best clip-on suspenders in the world bar none except the ones sold by Gieves&Hawkes on Saville Row (I think) which doesn’t sell them anymore. Two things prevent this: first, SM has not received a fresh stock from Hickok, which may have gone out of business. That would be a pity. Other establishments should go out of business, like the Department of Finance which wants to take away the discount and tax exemptions of senior citizens who were never Finance secretaries and therefore did not steal for their retirement (I have the fat one in mind), while they faithfully paid the right taxes all their working lives. And also because I grew up with Hickok.

Second, I saw the President wearing white suspenders in a recent photo. White is best against a white undershirt and under a white barong, still his best attire as it is mine. By the way, it is improper to wear suspenders with a belt only if your tailor is Brooks Brothers in New York or one of only two superb Hong Kong tailors which make trousers with waistlines at least an inch above the navel and with two buttons on each side and two buttons behind — precisely for suspenders with buttonholes sold in Brooks Brothers and nowhere else. They are the only suspenders you should wear and never with a belt. But then, in this godforsaken peasant society of ours, you must make do with ready-to-wear trousers with waistlines three inches below the navel so that it is all you can do to keep curly hair from showing without suspenders pulling them up. I know of no Filipino whose curlies should ever be seen by man, woman or beast for that matter. Ugh.

If you have the slightest bulge, the waist will slip under it. You must wear suspenders with clip-ons for these locally available trousers, some with brand names that don’t impress the discerning. And no, it is not unfashionable to clip them on to, say, a webbed belt which allows the suspenders to pull up these godforsaken trousers evenly. Provided of course you conceal them under a shirt worn out rather than tucked in. Or inside a jacket. This gives you the comforting sense that, as the day progresses, these ridiculous trousers made for people too poor to have a belly do not slowly slip down until your crack from behind shows when you bend to pickup something off the floor, like a credit card of which you should have only one. Unless you want to show off that you are widely in hock.

Also make your shirts in Hong Kong where you can specify the tails to be a bit longer than RTWs so that crack doesn’t show in any event. That is what I wanted to give him but he has them already.

Former Rep. Nikki Teodoro

The Christmas gift I would like to give the nation through President Duterte is sustainable and effective poverty alleviation. May no one be hungry ever again.

Maritel Nievera, president and CEO, Cabalen Group of Companies

All I want for President Duterte this Christmas is for him to be physically, mentally and spiritually healthy. I would give him a basketful of Unicity-brand health products, all natural and healthy supplements to boost his immune system. I can imagine that he must be under a tremendous amount of stress and hopefully he is not neglecting his health! President Duterte, I support your unparalleled determination to fight crime, drugs and corruption to the very core. I would also hold a special prayer brigade with my Canossian Sisters friends for the success of his administration throughout the next six years. Our prayers are with you, Mr. President.

Gary Lising, comedian/businessman

The Christmas gift I will give President Duterte would be pictures of Leni Robredo, Sandra Cam and Leila de Lima. I’d tell him to choose one to serve as an inspiration so he can tackle all the problems of the country and the stress he’s going to face this coming year.

Rep. Pia Cayetano, 1st District, Taguig

I would give the President  two Christmas gifts: peace in every barangay in the country, which is his fervent desire; and 48 hours of rest at home in Davao. He’s such a hard-working president and he’s easily happy with the simplest things. Maka-rest lang siya at home for Christmas, he will be content and happy.

Maxine Medina, Miss Universe Philippines 2016

I would like to give him a very special notebook made by street children. This is what he’ll use to write all the things that he dreams about. It will also be a journal on which he could vent out. I hope that through this I could somehow help ease his burdens and give him strength to face the country’s problems. I want him to feel that we are here to support and help him with his plans for our nation.

Rep. Ben P. Evardone, Eastern Samar

I will give President Duterte two books: Wolf Boys by Dan Slater and  Blitzed by Norman Ohler. Both books will give him more insights into his war on drugs. Wolf Boys is an engrossing story of two American teenagers who successfully penetrated the most dangerous drug cartels in Mexico while Blitzed is a riveting story on the possible use of illegal drugs by Hitler’s army and possibly by Hitler too.

Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, Diwa Partylist

The President is a very busy man so he probably won’t have time to go to the gym. I’d give him a Fitbit so that he can track his fitness activity and challenge himself with fitness goals. I also want to make things more convenient for the President, so I would  give him a charging pad to eliminate all the wires and cables. I’d also give him Uniqlo Airism inner shirts so that his inner shirts are light and will draw moisture away from his skin during a long day.