Reckless, maybe false, humility

What is President Duterte doing? What is he thinking? Why is he insisting on being among the last to be vaccinated against COVID-19? What is he trying to prove, that as president he needs to put the best interests of his countrymen above and ahead of his own? If that is so, then he has got it all backward. He is putting the interests of the nation in grave peril by being the last to be vaccinated.

Duterte is the president, for God's sake. If frontliners need to be vaccinated first, there is no greater frontliner than he is. Upon his shoulders is borne the tremendous weight of an entire nation of 110 million whose lives have been turned upside down by this pandemic. At no time in this country's contemporary history has the need for a strong and resolute leader been more pronounced and acute than now, in this particular presidency.

It is understandable that with vaccines not coming in as quickly and as plentifully as the situation demands, there is a practical need to juggle this scant resource and to prioritize its application. Hence the logical decision to inoculate the frontliners first. But there is no greater frontliner than the president of a nation.

It is of no moment whether you like Duterte or not or whether your politics demands your cooperation or not. The world needs leaders at this time. The Philippines, like any other country, needs someone to chart a course through the uncharted waters of a pandemic, someone who has the mandate that has not only held but continues to be borne by consistent trust and approval.

Such trust and approval are key and crucial to credible leadership during uncertain times. They are not to be squandered and spent recklessly just because Duterte has just had a sudden seizure of deadly and reckless false humility. Now is not the time to play with appearances. Now is not the time to dabble in politics, like being suddenly aware of what the critics may say.

Duterte is the leader. He must stay that way. The country cannot risk a sudden change in leadership just because Duterte lost his grip and fell off his horse. And with the line of succession favoring the ascension of the untested and incompetent, one shudders at the thought of a change in leadership just because Duterte wanted to play with appearances.

Even strong and mature countries that boast of trusted and able lines of succession still want no leadership changes in midstream. Practical reasons must always prevail over deadly showboating. Whoever is close enough to have his ear must tell him to drop the folly of not having himself already vaccinated.

If a few weeks ago Duterte can have himself photographed as being among the nonsensical privileged few to have the first national IDs issued, why can he not move himself to the top of the line for a vaccine shot? If it has not occurred to Duterte, let me tell him: The vaccine is not for him so he can live longer. The vaccine is for him to live longer for the country.