The godfather?

Is he the “father of the nation” or “the godfather”?

President Rodrigo Duterte will make or break his Administration with his State of the Nation Address today. Will he be able to capture the people’s hearts, or will he shutter us into pieces with his words, fierceness and callousness?

For every President elected into office, I have taken it upon myself to show them utmost respect in their first years of service, hoping they will make a difference in the country despite their records in the past. When P-Noy became the President, he was given a chance to lead and to prove his worth but 2 years along the road, everything went downhill. This seems to be the pattern of every sitting President. After a year or two, their true colors begin to show, and the nation falls back in its vicious pattern of crime and corruption. The President begins to sink down the drain with no way of getting back on track.

In the case of Duterte, personally, I’ve grown tired of his antics and rhetoric. Instead of looking forward to his speeches with excitement and great delight or even an ounce of interest and eagerness, I tend to become more concerned of the nation and how the world will perceive him. Does he present himself as a “father to the people” or as the “godfather” mischievous, canny and impish.

The “father of a nation” will always side with his children (the people) thru hell or high waters. He will always protect them from anyone or anything. He is loving, caring, fair and selfless. He listens, encourages and teaches his children. He leads by example. He is compassionate and will lead the nation out of darkness.

The “godfather” is the second father of a child in a Christian baptism. He too will act like a father in the absence of the real one. But in the popular movie of Francis Coppola (in the seventies), the “godfather” is a gangster who despite the preconceived notions of evil and crime that accompany his character, he is respected. He shows admirable traits of a loving father, a protective relative, loyal friend and a sympathetic leader. He is uncompromising.

I thought that Duterte, who in his campaign to become President showed us his tough guy act, would come out to be a Robinhood. But after a few months in office, he carried himself more like a gangster than a “godfather” to the nation.

Let’s take a look at the many critical issues the Duterte administration faced and how he dealt with them.

On the “War on Drugs”: Since he took office on June 30, 2016, President Duterte’s “war on drugs” led to the deaths of over 12,000 Filipinos mostly urban poor. Among those killed were Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman – all young victims who could have been protected and rehabilitated from drugs. Was this the President’s only solution? Couldn’t there have been any other alternatives? Drug users are sick. They have a problem. Why did he go for them? Why not the suppliers and the pushers?

On the Marcos burial: After almost three decades of the Filipino’s struggle to oust Marcos from tyrannical rule, Duterte decides to bury him in the heroes’ cemetery. Did the President do this to spite the many Filipinos who stood at Edsa in 1986? Why choose to please what is left of the Marcos loyalists over the majority of Filipinos? Was it payback time for him? Clearly, he dropped many of his “children” like a hot potato. Doing so, he divided his family. He broke many of us.

On the China issue: In July 2016, a UN-backed arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and said that China’s vast sea claims had no legal basis. Duterte ignored the arbitration ruling and instead sought closer economic and diplomatic ties with China. While other ASEAN countries continue to fight for their right on China’s controlling behavior, our president easily gave up on us. He even strengthened ties with China especially on the funding of government infrastructure projects. Are we that desperate?

On the UN issue: Why did he need to taint or almost end half a century of Philippine relationship with the United Nations? How can a president be onion-skinned? Where is his diplomacy?

On appointment of government officials: Why was former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II nominated to the Board of SSS? Weren’t there issues over his dismissal of drug charges against Cebuano businessman Peter Lim and self-confessed drug trader Kerwin Espinosa? What about the controversy in late 2016 over the P50-million extortion charge against his subordinates and fraternity brothers –immigration associate commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles – involving Chinese gaming tycoon Jack Lam? Aren’t these big issues enough for the President to keep him away from public service? What about former Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor commissioners Manuel Serra Jr. (now Philippine Coconut Authority board member) and Melissa Avanceña Aradanas (now deputy secretary general of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council); former Bureau of Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon (now deputy administrator of the Office of the Civil Defense); former SSS board member Jose Gabriel La Viña (now agriculture undersecretary). Susmariosep! Why continue to keep bad weeds in public service? Shouldn’t these people be cleared first of allegations/ cases made against them? Aren’t there many other professionals out there qualified to work in government service?

On calling God “stupid”: How can a “father of the nation” call the Supreme Being – stupid? Was it right for the president of a Roman Catholic and Christian dominated nation to behave in this manner? How will he ever be able to heal the nation if he continues to hit the core of our spirituality?

Controversy after controversy: President Duterte loves to give a show even if it hurts the country and our people. How embarrassing for our countrymen to see our President, supposedly “father of the nation” on an official visit to South Korea publicly kiss an overseas Filipino worker on the lips.

So, where is the President headed? Today, he may sign the Bangsamoro Basic Law in front of us. Is his intention to bring a brighter future to our republic or divide Mindanao from the rest of the Philippines? My dad, the late Max Soliven once said, “If Mindanao detaches itself from a strongly-centralized Philippines, bound together by a strong central government, that huge island and its satellite isles will be ripe for the picking by the well-armed and well-funded. We may wake up to see Mindanao under the control of an Islamic Caliphate – imposed by the gun, and too far from rescue from either the Visayas or Luzon.”

Will Duterte’s idea of federalism bring us out of political darkness? Are we ready for federalism? Isn’t the country still in limbo just as it is numb to the struggles of the daily commuters who up to this day go thru hell just to get to work while vehicles continue to run the roads without a license plates?

If the President continues to think and act this way, then, sanamagan – he is bound to be going on the road to perdition.