IN BARING HIS WORST Duterte forcing people to pick their president

by Chito A. Fuentes

This early, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is forcing people to pick their next president - simply by baring his worst.

Duterte was proclaimed presidential candidate of the PDP-Laban by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III Monday afternoon before a highly partisan crowd of cheering and clapping followers and supporters.

The controversial Davao mayor, however, did not appear the least conscious of the occasion, choosing to expose his worst angle so far.

“If you can love your fellow men, if you love the Filipino people - love enough to serve and to die for you - how can I not love four women in my life?” Duterte, an avowed ladies man, asked.

From elaborating on his womanizing and fondness for sex, to cussing to express his frustrations, Duterte was most lurid in his accounts of his encounters with criminals.

Cursing while detailing his ordeal during the visit of Pope Francis in Manila, Duterte let off another round of expletives that expectedly became a magnet for bashing from his haters and rivals.

“Do not think for a minute that you have a monopoly of evil,” Duterte remarked while addressing criminals, warning that is capable of “ten times more”.

Reminiscent of his first mayoralty campaign in Davao, Duterte made it clear his priorities were fighting crime, criminality and government incompetence.

Duterte had postulated the thesis that peace and order and an efficient government are the foundations to development. Davao’s metamorphosis from a basket case to the country’s fifth-ranked city in terms of income has proven him right.

Davao’s feat from the killing fields of the 80s to the Philippines’ safest urban city along with his advocacies including delivery of basic services has given rise to a new sense of dignity and accountability to Davaoenos as shown by the realignment of political forces solidly behind Duterte in his presidential run.

The Duterte who made life difficult for those prodding him to file before the October 17 deadline was not much different from the Duterte who grudgingly accepted a popular draft to run for president.

“Gusto nya man kaya ako ma-presidente, dapat malaman nyo kung sino ako,” he repeated what he has been saying since the start.

His critics have played into his trap, harping at his perceived disrespect for propriety and refinement.

The mayor projects the image of being reckless and carefree - and seems to be enjoying it.

“Kung i-dismiss ako nang Comelec, so be it. No problem. Uwi ako bukas,” he says matter-of-factly.

Duterte, who considers himself “left”, recently announced that he will put a stop to labor contractualization, a position that will surely make capitalists take a stand against him.

The mayor’s unorthodoxy is a marketing specialist’s nightmare but he doesn’t care.

Duterte is not about to repackage himself just to win this election.

People scandalized by his pronouncements and his behavior are raising hell about it but do not expect Duterte to mend his ways.

At the age of 70 and complaining of various ailments, Duterte has made it clear he is not interested in the presidency, giving rise to suspicions he is sabotaging his own bid.

Far from it. Duterte is telling the country what kind of presidency they can expect and, while the campaign period is going on, make a stand whether they will still go for him with all his faults, or go back to the comfort zone where his rivals are packed and jammed.

Brilliance? Miriam. Academic credentials? Mar. Experience? Binay. Pleasing personality? Poe.

Alternating between being crude, rough and irreverent to a virtual champion for the less fortunate and the helpless, Duterte has made sure this will be an unforgettable a political campaign.   

“If God wants me to be there, I will be there,” he replied when asked whether he believes it is God’s will for him to run for president during his proclamation.

Call it bravado, call it bluster, call it a gamble, or faith, if you will, but that is the Duterte to expect in the approaching campaign - and the presidency if he makes it. (CHITO A. FUENTES)