Panelo, the persuasive speaker

I was once an active member of the Queen City Toastmasters Club. When I joined in 1981, there were only five other such clubs in Cebu compared to about 40 today. To maximize the benefits of my membership, I attended all meetings unless there were hindering unforeseen circumstances. Each day we met, we seemed to imbibe from one another’s participation’s a little learning on leadership and communication. One such learning was to convince an audience to a speaker’s point of view contained in the module called “Make it Persuasive”. If memory serves me right. It was identified as speech project number eight of the fifteen to achieve the norm called Competent Toastmaster.

Secretary Salvador Panelo, the official spokesman of the government, isn’t just a lawyer but also a Competent Toastmaster. I have never seen a more persuasive talker. None of the famous great speakers of different generations to include Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin can hold a candle to him. Panelo can convince his audience to see things his way.

I can cite a most recent event of transnational significance to prove my contention. This is about a pronouncement of President Duterte upon coming home from a conference of Asian leaders. On national television, Duterte said something that led me to write in this column my apprehension that he opened himself to the risk of being impeached. I was shocked to hear Duterte declaring that because the Philippines and China are friends, he will allow Chinese fishermen to enter a part of the West Philippine Sea which the International Arbitral tribunal ruled to be part of our Exclusive Economic Zone.

After the rush of adverse criticisms, Panelo, the virtual grizzled Competent Toastmaster, came to Duterte’s defense. I recall that it was not entirely different from what Duterte said, except that Secretary Panelo gave weight to the friendly relations of the two countries. His onus was the amity of the two nations. He satisfied to the hilt the objectives written in the Toastmaster’s speech manual to “Make it Persuasive” and persuaded me into believing that because China is our friend the constitutional proviso directing that only Filipinos can use and enjoy the wealth of the EEZ may be tempered.

There were more profound observers Panelo failed to persuade, among them Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who pointed to specific provisions of our constitution as having been violated by Duterte in his startling pronouncement. Carpio was most careful in his dissertation but to me the bottom line indicated an impeachment complaint could be filed against Duterte as an effect of what he said.

The Carpio exposition probably captured the hearts and minds of nationalists, intellectuals, and even ordinary citizens that talks about impeaching Duterte began to surface. Dow did the president react? I did not hear it directly from the president’s mouth but reports said he threatened with arrest and imprisonment those espousing impeachment.

Then Competent Toastmaster Panelo entered the scene. In his eloquent tongue he told the Filipino audience that the president did not say he would allow the Chinese fishermen to ravage our natural resources. I could not help but be persuaded. Panelo convinced me that I was deaf enough to be unable to hear what the president really uttered. Whew!