The photos streaming into our newsfeeds tell it all. Coverage of Rodrigo Duterte’s miting de avance at the Luneta Park in Manila consisted of a lot of wide-angle, even aerial, photos of massive crowds. In contrast, photo coverage of Mar Roxas’s rally at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City consisted of underwhelming shots of the stage and a few odd people clad in yellow shirts.
The crowds in Duterte’s rally were impressive indeed. Most credible estimates ranged between 500,000 and 750,000, dwarfing the ten-odd thousand estimates issued with regard to the crowds that gathered in Roxas’s and the other candidates’ rallies combined. But the important thing to note about Duterte’s rally is the set of colours being flown by the crowd. The biggest feature of Duterte’s crowd was the lack of the now-disturbing chromatic homogeneity of rallies surrounding any movement associated with the Aquino-Cojuangco clan. The crowds that came to the “Duterte Grand Rally” had no standout colour other than the red-white-and-blue of the Philippine flag.
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No yellow banners: Only the national colours dominate Duterte’s rally.
(Photo source: Pia Ranada)
It’s been a long time since the national colours dominated a crowd this huge. For many, it was a sight to behold. No longer need you worry about the colour shirt you are wearing before showing up at a rally. Duterte’s rally was, in that sense, truly inclusive. The dominance of the Philippine flag at Luneta was remarkable considering that the candidate of the hour there is from Davao City — long considered to be a far-off colonial outpost amongst many others orbiting Imperial Manila where the Philippines’ only “real” national politics happen. In this successful staging of his miting de avance Duterte may have proven that it would take a Mindanaoan to truly unite Filipinos under a single flag.
Turning their backs to the incumbent camp’s pitch of maintaining the status quo, Duterte’s supporters look forward to change. Change is coming has become the catchphrase they use for their stoic rubbing in of Duterte’s almost-certain win at the polls. The show of power in Luneta today proves that Duterte possesses the political capital to make those changes.
This is, indeed, an end of an era and the start of a new one. It cannot be stopped by President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III’s quaint threat to invoke “people power” to stop a Duterte presidency. People power had deserted the Yellow camp of the Aquinos a long time ago. Duterte’s new era opens doors to many possibilities for the Filipino. All Duterte needs to do is lead his people wisely and for his people to apply an intelligent mind over the next six years to holding him accountable to his duty to serve.
[Aerial photo of Duterte rally courtesy Kim A. Tanalas.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
The Aquinos/Cojuancos tried to change the Filipino Flag , into Yellow. Chinese color of the Chinese Emperors, during the Chinese bygone era of Family Dynastic rule. Maybe, they tried to make the Philippines, their Family Imperial Dynasty of their own. And, make themselves “Emperors”…
Change is inevitable…it came for our mindsets to advance. The Information Technology has something to do, to change the mindsets of people. The Social Media, has something to do with this coming political change…
It is the same in the U.S. Donald Trump , an outsider, is now the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. Most of the establishment politicians are horrified. But, the American people has spoken.
It will be the same in our country. The Filipino people will choose, this coming, May 9, 2016, for their new President. A new administration…maybe change will be coming.
Aquino, Mar Roxas, etc…who represent the Filipino political establishment are horrified.
They are cringing, in fear of their coming defeat in the coming election…
Trump got the nomination because he appealed directly to the baser instincts of the American people to point and blame Mexicans, Muslims and Obama for their problems. Lots of Americans have caved into these instincts, that’s why you see so much violence at his rallies.
Now if you want a real anti-establishment candidate that’s really shaking things up so bad that the establishment are trying to squelch his voice, you should pay attention to Bernie Sanders and the third parties.
As a foreigner living here since more than 30 years, I can tell you right now that I am proud of the Filipino people finally waking up. How I wish that I could vote here. I can’t, so I have to rely on all of you to do it for me. I live here. This is my home. I want you to respect your country the way I respect it. I chose this place a long time ago. I have no power here. The power is yours and yours alone.
This TRUELY brings tears to my eyes.
This is what hope looks like.
PLEASE, do not fuck this up. Please….
i <3 this.
thank you jim.
Yes we will kick them out for good.
Jim Digriz Thanks for your inspiring comment and for choosing to stay here when many among us want to go out and live somewhere else. Thank you for loving our dear country despite of her people. May your.success be ever present and your happiness abound as you stay on for another 30 years and beyond. Tuloy po kayo.
Thank you Gerry, I mean it! Thank you!
Thank you, Jim DiGriz!
Sorry Jim. It’s the Philippines. They will fuck it up.
You probably think I’m anti-Duterte. I’m not. Out of all the useless idiots in the lineup, he’s probably the best that’s on offer. But he’s not going to save the Filipinos from themselves.
The only chance they’ve got is this: in every country where political change happens, it happens in two stages, and they need to let Duterte get on with stage 1 and then kick him out. The first guy is loosely connected to the old guard, but makes enough changes to allow normal people to step into positions of power after he steps down. Those are the people who actually turn the country around.
There are three ways this can go wrong:
1) He never steps down, and instead escalates his Pinoy-style leadership into a Pol Pot-style bloodbath, in the mistaken assumption that if something works to begin with, more of it will work better.
2) Vested interests will assassinate him before he even gets started.
3) The ordinary Filipino will simply refuse to comply. They’ll carry on lying and cheating and stealing from each other even though they know it’s harming their country. This is where (1) starts to become likely.
Marius,
My gut feelings tell me that not much will change with Duterte. Those people on Luneta Park, what do they expect? That they will become rich over night? That they will be/become part of the 1st world countries league once Duterte is president?
Okay, (street) crime will maybe go down. Maybe corruption will go down. But thats as far as it will go.
I am totally not that enthusiastic about the future of the Philippines.
Hope springs eternal.
The journey to a thousand miles start with a single step. If Duterte can start initiating things for the better, it will snowball. Maybe not so much for this generation, but once the mustard seed is planted, there is always the possibility that things will get better.
To cite an example, after the massive rally, the rallyists and volunteers picked up the garbage and kept Luneta clean. It was truly remarkable.
Chachi,
don’t get me wrong. I want and wish the Philippines (its people) to do well and do more than well.
But as far as I know, no president (nor my own prime minister) has caused me to change my own mentality and mindset.
Obeying traffic laws is the only way for me to get out alive from every road trip I make (just an example). But I also must admit, that sometimes I drive faster than the speed limit. I am not hollier than the pope (as we use to say in my country; Dutch: “roomser dan de paus).
From all the storie that I do read about and hear, I also think that Benigno wasnt a marvelous president.
Finally, a prime-minister can do very little in how to change its own people’s/citizens’ mindset/mentality. There is no law against stupidity or is there? All he/she can do is make better laws and make sure the police does its work the way it should be.
Can a president bring the number of cases of teenage pregnancies down?
Can a president bring the number of cases of STD/AIDS/HIV down?
Can a president bring the number of population growth among poor people down?
My answer is no.
Change for the country and its government is what we seek and we want to help. It’s not just about getting rich you fucking moron! What do you think of us, we only want money for a change?
Oliver,
you are misreading my point. Oh and BTW thanks for the compliment.
Are we clear that each household needs a sound foundation? Are we clear that life/living costs money?
Or do you know a country where everything is for free?
I am not talking about rich. No middle class household is rich but they can live a pretty okay life.
A big step towards eliminating corruption is getting rid of PDAP which goes to congressmen’s and senator’s pockets. If this is cut off, we are looking at billions of pesos channeled for development projects and perhaps more on job generating projects. When crime rate is down and corruption is eliminated from govt, this is a hug step to fuel development and eventually this will solve poverty. I AM ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT.
Angelus,
I fully agree with you.
All I would like to know is what DU will do with that ‘extra’ money. Has he told that during his plans?
As far as I know, I dont know any government that creates jobs directly. Jobs are created by the businesses, the corporations, the shops/stores. And that will only happen if there is a work load that cant be done by the current workforce. Only then I will hire one or more people.
A possibility is when households get more money to spend, so that that extra is pumped into the economy through spending.
Maybe the PH government can coveth foreign companies to start a plant/factory in PH. Lets say Philips starting a factory where light bulbs are manufactuered. That will create jobs. And create (extra) income.
You think that Filipinos assumed that foolishness, you racist!
Marius & Robert. This is not the time to be pessimistic.
Have some courage and don’t demoralize people before Duterte even had a chance to start.
Keep your negative opinion to yourselves for the moment and use them when in fact they would be appropriate.
What is happening now is a very important historical event 30 years in the making. This can and hopefully will change the future of this country. Change wont come overnight, but it is important that people are willing.
Aquino was a terrible role model for the average Filipino, as they had no respect for the coconut in chief and therefore things became more messy and out of control.
I’m here long enough to know that Filipinos need someone on top they can respect, someone who gives them tough love. Discipline and decent behavior trickles down. I witnessed it before, it can happen again. The President is like a father figure. If the father is a no good bum, the kid will be out of control. Yet, when you have a strict father, suddenly the kid starts to behave differently. I don’t mean this in a disrespectful way, but many Filipinos are like children and just like actual kids they need someone to guide them and draw the line and say, ENOUGH! Stop it!
The Philippines now needs strength and support.
Let’s help build and not tear down before a foundation was laid.
This is my home. I want a clean house and I will help in any way I can, to keep it clean. You should do the same.
Don’t discourage, roll up your sleeves and join the movement. People will thanks you for it. I most certainly will and I’m not even born here.
Jim,
I give Duterte the benefit of the doubt.
But again, change must and will come only from the individual.
You clean up your shit, I clean up mine. Maybe we both do it in different ways, but at ther end of the day it looks clean.
Will my president help me clean up my shit? I dont think so (its not his/her task/duty).
If you (or I) want to build a house, we need to start with laying a perfect foundation otherwise it will crumble down like a deck of cards. Where is the foundation, my friend? Where is the foundation?
The metaphore you use, is accurate and precize. Thats what a biological father (and mother) should do. There is where laying the foundation starts. Not with my surrogate father (a president, prime-minister).
The dysfunctionality – that Benign0 wrote about many years ago – hasnt faded yet. Why will it stop now? Because of a new, different president? Pls give me a break.
Maybe I am cynical but for sure I am a realist.
Jim,
I will tell you a few thing based on my own experiences. Maybe it were/are the exceptions, but still. Pls tell me how a president can change all that.
I met and meet a lot of single mom’s. Left by their boyfriends or husbands. The female is left behind with a few kids on her arms. And some of them ask me to give her money. Not only for herself and her kids but also – on other occassions – for her parents/sisters.
Where is the foundation, Jim?
A smart girl wouldnt let it come this far. And no parents should let the daughter be begging for money from a relative stranger.
Jim, as per Robert’s post, I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt: it’s hard to imagine what could be worse than the Aquino administration, but Filipinos never cease to surprise me with their inventiveness in that regard.
As I said, he’s less bad than all the other bad offerings. It tells you something about the dire state of the country when an unrepentant killer is the best on offer, but there it is.
You are quite right that Filipinos behave largely like undisciplined children. I suggest this is because many of them either have no parents, or have bad parents. The country is in a situation where 30, 40, 50% of the population literally do not understand the basics of social interaction.
But will a good spanking sort them out? I doubt it very much. You can’t teach people life skills with violence. Will Duterte address teen pregnancy? The woeful state of public education? The terrible power of the cult-like CCP? Once you’ve got people regimented and obeying the (stupid) rules, then what? How are they to feed themselves and get jobs when they can barely read, write, or add 1+2?
The more important point is this: who will be delivering the spankings? It won’t be Duterte personally. It will be the police and the army. The ill-educated, corrupt, immoral, and lazy police and army. How do you think that’s going to work out? In other words, who watches the watchmen?
I can’t predict the future. All I know is that, historically, you can’t defeat evil with more evil.
Well said, Sir. I am a natural born Filipino who has acquired US as my second country. The feelings are mutual. My tears are tears of joy for my countrymen. Now Pilipinos have hope. Mabuhay po kayo.
Thaks Jim, Duterte will not fuck this up and the people will have to abide by the law. I’m also from Mindanao and we, like Duterte, like his style of governance because he’s a man of his words.
I mean, Thanks.
That is precisely why I like him. A man of his word and a strong willed doer not a talker.
“The power is yours!”
Sounds like something from Captain Planet. I am not a planeteer Jim Digriz, but I will do my best. Gaia have mercy on the traitors!
I’ve only lived here for 12 years but I second your motion.
Thanks Jim.
If this fucks up and Roxas gets the Presidency, it’s my cue to exit Philippines or be a full-time anarchist, whichever comes first.
Digong is really special. I was glad he ran. Win or lose, he changed the discourse on Philippine politics forever. I hope he wins of course, he’s the only candidate who isn’t afraid to talk about issues like federalism and industry. He is also from Mindanao, which is the neglected key to our country’s future. Only a person from Mindanao can give that region due justice considering its untapped human and natural wealth.
I won’t abstain or skip out on the upcoming election. I’ll vote for this guy and pray that the Liberal Party’s defeat will be overwhelming.
Very special indeed, for shaking all the institutions of this country- the powerful elite and oligarch, the dominant Catholic church, the oppressive regime that have long ruled and governed this country. It takes a real leader and warrior to do that- all for the love of his people and country. Steeped in understanding of our historical background and grounded with societal concerns, Duterte alone stands tall to speak for the people with relevance. His purposeful platform and sharp rhetorics cut deep into the Filipino psyche and heart that resonate their sentiment and voice that people have long kept in their hearts- CHANGE!With the massive support of people, Duterte will win by a landslide!
Presidential candidate Rody Duterte is the hands down choice of the people unless Penoy’s COMELEC trolls perform a double whammy by making presidential tailender Mar Roxas and his equally unpopular Leni Robredo win. I still can recall that the PCOS machine was called as such for it meant President Cory’s Only Son with clueless Abnoy “winning” the 2010 presidency. Now they rechristen it as VCM which might mean Victory for Candifate Mar… God forbid.
to add a cherry on the cake my friend, I’d found this tweet message today coming from Jepoy & he give the 12 senatorial lists who are NOT from the LP slate & they are 100% Duterte supporters:
https://twitter.com/jefk_rew/status/728424590796431360?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email
And don’t trusts those surveys coming from SWS & Pulse Asia who are now on the lists and all of them are corrupt, dumb and arrogant. Vote only to the pro-Duterte senates and they are the true senators that are ready to serve our country without personal & money gains just pure public service.
If you’ll compared the size between Luneta Park & QMC obviously the Luneta Park is much bigger than one from Quezon Memorial Cirle & Luneta could accommodate more than 1 million people while in QMC is just half of it. That means a million Filipinos who’d attended Duterte’s miting de avance on the final day of this year’s election campaign period & will vote & support him than one from Mar Roxas miting de avance in QMC & other presidential candidates who had rallied in the area which is smaller than Luneta/Rizal Park!!! And there you have it folks! Size really does matter & this kind of math won’t tell a lie unlike the Aquino’s camp showing a false statistics that Davao City is a the most crime ridden city in our country or Sen. Trillanes showing a fake proof that Mayor Duterte is having a multi-million bank accounts which he thinks is his hidden wealth! This is the REAL change that Duterte is showing to our country & it’s just an inch away to becoming the next president as long as we will be vigilant on our voting rights this election day on May 9, 2016. Bantayan natin ang ating boto at huwag tayo sumilaw o manloko sa mga pulitiko na may maraming pera, kasikatan at kapangyarihan pero puro sila’y mga duwag, tanga at kurakot! Their glory days will be finally over and the start of a new Philippines. Change is coming alright but don’t forget to love our country and show respect to others as well. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas, Mabuhay ang susunod na pangulo ng ating bansa na si Mayor (or should I say right now, THE PRESIDENT) Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte. 🙂
Right. I just red somewhere that there ade certain ballot forms sent to diffrent polling presincts for the may 9 elections. These ballots have LIGHT PINK COLOR LINE and already marked for mar and leni. Please help me inform our voters that if they were given these ballots, they should return them to the BEI AND NOT TO USE THEM. DEMAND FOR A CLEAR WHITE BALLOT FORM…
Report any irregularities in any precinct. Guard the sanctity of the ballots. Report any YellowTard Hackers that will be operating!
It is the will of the Filipino people that must prevail…
what if the Pilipinos failed again? du30 is under the banner of the yellows, PDP-Laban, a political party of Cory. and its secretary general is Peping Cojuangco.
It remains to be seen…
If Duterte, will not do his job well.
We will roast him…we have to be vigilant…Peping Cojuangco will be roasted also…
i will believe if who ever becomes new president, that he/she should distribute the hacienda luisita to the real owners the farmers. that’s the first step to do for a real change. it’s the roots of all misery for the Pilipinos. it’s worth dying for.
@Pusoy:
Hacienda Luisita is the root of all evil in Aquino politics. All haciendas, and feudalism, are the root of all evil, in Philippine politics.
agreed. actually i’m still thinking between MDS and DU30. MDS is the True Opposition against the Yellow Horde. i will vote for BBM for VP. fuck BBM should win. >:(
Duterte is his own man. And we are certain of that. We can vouch for that as we felt his governance long before!#1sttimeexcited!#realchangeiscomingtotown#letscometogetherandmakethiscountrygreat#youhaven’tseennothingyet
The battle is not yet over! The landed few would make every attempts to grab the power that is about to be extinguished from them through “peoples’ true will” by electing Mayor Duterte. Expect vote rigging, and we all know that money is now being shelled out to buy votes. This dirty money is also our money to speak with. It’ll be the start of an era when the stronghold of the stubborn few and their minions would still want to hold on their power and privileges. The majority of our people have already shown and expressed their (and our) strong desire for TRUE CHANGE, and this is unstoppable, but if thwarted by the power and money-hungry few we may be heading for a very rough sea ahead. However, our combined united advocacy and power will surely prevent any attempts to grab power from our new and honest President Duterte. We have to implore the Divine Guidance of our God Almighty for guidance and protection of our new leaders and government that is “of the people”, “by the people” and “for the people”! We will prevail as the call for TRUE CHANGE is also a DIVINE CALL that is currently and in the future being manifested through the crowd attendance, support and emotional outpouring of expression of wanting for TRUE CHANGE. Thanks God Almighty for providing us a true leader who will transform our rotten society to one that is fair, just, equitable and very responsive to the needs esp. for those in the brink of hunger, poverty and injustices of the many!
Yep. Was there last night. Different folks, different strokes but with one purpose and goal – support the mayor and hope that the Philippines will shine again. It was very tiring indeed but worth it. Compared to the “hakot” crowd of roxas which we personally saw being picked up from Tumana Marikina to be brought to QC Circle falling in line riding in jeeps with yelllow shirts and banners of the Roro. Even our caregiver had to take a day off that day because she said LP Mayor will pay them for attending the meeting the avance and when asked if she will vote for Roro she’ll immediately say “hindi maam attend lang kame ng mga kapitbahay ko, sayang bigay eh pero Duterte kame!”
Goodluck LP on cheating, people already know. Hindi na sila bobong katulad nyo.
From some of the comments expressing an almost religious fervor that this man can literally do no wrong, well…
Hang ’em High
A new sheriff is about to ride into town and shoot up Aquino!
What a gay day Monday will be.
Aquino will be out of the closet, and Roxas will be up sh!t creek without a paddle.
Never again will the people be fooled by a wannabe dictator who speaks with a forked tongue and wears a permanent grin, but who cannot mask his machiavellian ways, or hide his vindictive soul.
No doubt he is trembling under the bed clutching at his teddy bear, as Mar Roxas clutches at straws, and Korina Sanchez hurls expletives.
Bluster is making his last stand as the remnants of his dwindling yellow army circle the wagons and try to hold off the marauding rebels, but Aquino can only shoot blanks, and Roxas can only shake his rattle.
Karma is on its way, and Aquino will in future be wearing national prison colors rather than his beloved self-promoting yellow ribbon pin which reflects his perverted view of unity!
Treachery is clearly an Aquino family trait.
He never listened to the voice of the people, and now the majority are shouting loud and clear, ‘ you have been a total failure, now STFU’
The malignant narcissist has only himself to blame. Too much time spent noynoying and scheming.
Aquino is not just yesterday’s man, but of a bygone age, refusing to acknowledge the march of time, whilst clinging to the misguided policies of his mother, who also proved incompetent, and who also failed the people by laying the very foundations for the myriad of problems which exist today, and which spell out the real aquino legacy of building an elite dictatorship masquerading as a democracy.
Time to tear down palace walls and erect tents.
The dictator is dead, long live the dictator.
And if the black widow becomes VP, then flying may not be the safest form of travel, or Jesse will not be the only one swimming with the fishes.
Get the popcorn ready. It will be a bun fight.
You idiots say you’re not anti Duterte but your posts give you away. You can’t even admit to it online. No one’s gonna go after you, so why so sacred shit? But at least you all agree that he’ll win tom. and that’s ok with me.
There you go. The people have spoken. It’s time to disembowel the aristocratic and self-serving system and way of life of the Failipinos. If the Failippines has to become a socialist country–in order to fix its problems–so be it.
Yellow banners don’t represent Philippines anyway.
Unfortunately they did till now. Aquino himself is living proof wearing that stupid yellow ribbon pin instead of the Philippine flag.
Last night!s Duterte miting De advance is the beginning of the end of the Aquino’s Dark Era of our beloved Philippines. A new Era of Duterte/ Marcos tandem, and we the people are hoping for the best; for a unified, peaceful, and a progressive tomorrow. God bless you President Duterte, and Vice President Bongbong Marcos. Mabuhay ang bansang Pilipinas.
As a American living here I am proud to see Duterte make people believe in this country. I hate hearing Americans say that Filipinos are stupid, and Filipinos agree with them. America’s; number one country by far to recruit people from high tech fields from doctors to scientist that work at on our space program is the Philippines. When I first came to this country I expected alot more from it. The problem has always been one major thing here in the Philippines people here go to other countries and help keep them great and do not nothing to help this country. This is your country and currently my country also, start believing in yourselves and do the same things here that you do overseas like having discipline and respect. Insult a Filipino OFW and there will be fight. Insult a Filipino here in the Philippines and they will agree with you. Why?
William E. Jackson,
“Insult a Filipino OFW and there will be fight. Insult a Filipino here in the Philippines and they will agree with you. Why?”
Failipinos are stupid. Not in an ingenious way in which they look out for themselves and their loved ones, while outshining one another and being subservient to their foreign benefactors; but, in their inability to set aside individual arrogance and selfishness, and learn to fight poverty and corruption together against an oppressive system.
We Failipinos will have to shed ourselves of our useless “Pinoy Pride,” a remnant of our aristocratic “Colonial Mentality” that we have been groomed into by our former Spanish and American colonizers, and still a very pragmatic part of our society; and of our self-serving “Crab Mentality” that continues to be passed from our tribal ancestors to generations after generations, in the forms of regional provinces (“probinsya”), customs, traditions, and dialects, that disparately seperate us from one another.
Our aristocratic (Colonial Mentality) and self-servingness (Crab Mentality) are the factors that made us Failipinos stupid then, today, and perhaps tomorrow–unless we learn to start living and working together as one people, for the good of the nation and each other.
Aeta
Aeta, you are 100% right in your thinking here. Thank you for your thoughts.
William E. Jackson,
Thank you for understanding my ‘extreme’ angle on my people. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it still has to be heard.
Regards,
Aeta
If COMELEC doesn’t cheat the outcome of the election, the iron-fisted leadership of Duterte and Marcos will put the fucked up Failippines back on the map again, by getting the aristocratic and self-serving Failipinos to think and live as one people and one nation again.
Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.
Yung mga disente at marangal na nag-iwan ng kalat dyan sa Liberal rally, pakilinis nga ho yung kalat ninyo. Maraming Salamat.
Indeed, the photos streaming into our newsfeeds tell it all. Our eyes don’t tell lies, and it is upsetting when there are attempts to put the crowd estimates at less than a million. Have they forgotten crowd estimates during Pope visits and other events when mammoth crowds converge in Luneta? Or, were those estimates wrong? If they were correct, would they dare tell us now that our eyes lie?
It is useless to quibble about numbers with individuals who are bent on superficiality — deliberately or not. They are, afterall, the very bozos who would typically discount what others would want to say by words or actions. They will only listen if things suit their vested interests. To say that DU30’s miting de avance was just a big political rally is to miss the whole point by a mile. Others were certainly political rallies. DU30’s crowd is a movement, as Teddy Locsin aptly described it.
More than the numbers, it is the intensity in the crowd, the energy, the electrifying atmosphere, that should be looked at. To underestimate this is to go against a strong undercurrent that is starting to affect the surface. It may be a social volcano ready to erupt, and if they don’t pay attention, or they suppress it more, the eruption will come as a surprise. What do these crowds that have showed up in the course of two months mean?
We have seen the various mammoth crowds in videos and pictures wherever DU30 went in the last two months. I didn’t go to Luneta, but I was in the one in Alabang. I stood at the edge of that crowd far from the stage as a precautionary measure against any possible stampede. Still, the energy was contagious. I could imagine what Luneta must have been.
Young and old, the beautiful and the average, the well-heeled and the unwashed, they came via the deplorable mass transports, or via private AUVs or SUVs and the thousands of 125-cc motorcycles that now dangerously pepper our streets. It might as well have been a rock concert where they could jump and dance in wild frenzy. But no, they could not jump or dance, so they stood unmoving in their respective places, bottling their feelings inside, stretching their heads from time to time in order not to miss anything in the stage.
In the couple of hours they were part of the crowd, they went from tears to laughter to silence, and back again, with everyone else. And when it was time to sing, they sang their hearts out like they were being freed from something they could not yet understand. For sure, they stood proud, really, really proud, when it was time to pay homage to the national colors. It had to be an indescribable feeling to see the red, white and blue being put in its proper place again. You knew right there and then that the yellow we had for 30 years was a total anomaly.
This is about DU30, but more critically, it is also not about him. This is the reason why the cameras caught him with tears after he had time to have a good glance of the crowd. This is not the monster, the media wants to paint him. I have to guess he could not understand his emotions, his thoughts. On the one hand, he must have been glad his message, even how garbled, was getting across to the mass of humanity that was confronting him right there. Different individuals, different groups, were interpreting his message as they pleased, but it didn’t matter at that moment. On the other, it must have finally sunk in him that something much, much bigger than a simple mayor of some backwater city was being placed in his shoulder. It is a great privilege. A great responsibility.
People have searched for a medium through which they could vent their frustrations. They want to scream, they want to kick, because being a Filipino has become a passport of dishonor. Pinoy Pride has become so vacuous; it is irritating to see it in the internet, it is repulsive when demonstrated in public. They want to say putang-ina in the most malutong way, but ours is supposed to be a decent society. Yet, everybody knows it is only decent on the outside. It is rotten, foul-smelling, in the inside, and so putang-ina is reserved for private conversations.
They want to be bastos. Far too long, their intelligence have been insulted — all sorts of kabastusan have been thrown their way. They want to lash out at anything and everything, but they simply can’t. Protests have become useless and have become identified with those in the fringes. And if ever they protest, who will listen? Everywhere, wells have been poisoned. The Top One Percent is enclaved. Those in government are busy being puppets of those enclaved, and if they are not puppets, they are Ponzi schemers resurrected from hell — criminals in Mercs and Bimmers. And all the rest have to be the hoi polloi who could not complain about the filth in high places. And if they have been waiting for a trickle down, none has come economically, it is only filth that had trickled down. Culture has been damaged. Left and right, front and back, there is moral decay.
Even then, it still came as a shock when a guy showed up in the horizon lashing out at everything the hoi polloi wanted to lash at. There was caution in the beginning for he was wrecking havoc on established norms. He admits to having violated everything in the Ten Commandments and more. The higher ups initially ignored him for they predicted he would implode all by himself sooner than later. He didn’t implode, and the more the higher-ups attacked him, the more the hoi polloi took note of the guy, and there was delight inside, a schadenfreude, the higher-ups were in utter confusion. The hoi polloi found their medium. He curses, so that they don’t need to curse. He is bastos, so that they don’t need to be bastos.
What the Establishment underestimated is the mood of the nation, the depth of frustration. People have simply become sick and tired of propagandas and lies — 30 years. Yes, 30 years, and such lies were bound to be exposed. PNoy doubled down on incompetence, lack of empathy and patronage politics, and thus the entire yellow shenanigan became clear, bright as in a high noon sun. Continuously trumpeting credit upgrades and window dressed statistics is no way to run a country. Even the unschooled and the non-economist feel the difference between a bubble economy and sustainable development. Believe it or not, the hoi polloi could sense when a country is moving in the wrong direction, or just pretending to be moving in the right direction. This is the reason for the apathy all around outside of election periods.
It took a few brave souls at the start to close ranks with this crass individual. But, bravery is also contagious, and as soon as it picked up its momentum, it was unstoppable. DU30 shot up to the top of the surveys. The last survey showed he was at 33%, a double digit margin over his next rival. It would require desperation and a distorted mentality to cheat him, for it will have to be massive. Only a guy prepared for a bloody civil war, or an uncivil revolution, would undertake such madness.
But, stupidity is forever. PNoy read this as 67% being opposed to DU30, and he frantically called, three days before election, the other candidates to unite and face DU30 as one. He forgot that his candidate, Mar, was at 20%, which means 80% are actually against Daan Matuwid. It is just that 47% may not have yet mustered the courage to place their bet on a very un-traditional politician. A united ticket as that PNoy and Mar tried to engineer would have just pushed more towards DU30, possibly more than half of the 47%, for the clamor is about change, not continuity. We wish PNoy and Mar were successful in engineering that unity if only to prove our foregoing hypothesis as true and correct. But, alas, as proven in the last six years, PNoy and Mar fuck any major project they touch.
Nevertheless, it takes courage to bet the future on DU30. He curses, he is uncouth, he tells rape jokes, he has a very non-traditional family life, and still lives in that modest house he had since he was a lowly fiscal. Why hasn’t he enriched himself like all the other politicians when he actually is of the Roa clan, one of the elite families of Mindanao? Who is the real DU30?
The witch hunter, Trillanes, insists DU30 has a double life. But how could we believe Trillanes, a loose cannon, who has acted time and again based on unsubstantiated evidence as well as just on his fertile imaginations? Trillanes goes on a rampage at the drop of hat — a hat very much suspected of containing several millions of mercenary fee per project of black OPs. So, how could Trillanes stand against DU30 who is very much a WYSISWG guy? So far, what we could see is that we are comparing pineapple with string beans. One is a dirty mercenary; the other, a principled politician. Good that DU30 didn’t go to BPI personally; there was no need for him to meet a creature of lower category.
But, there is no point in further straining ourselves on who is DU30. Unlike PNoy who has identified Daan Matuwid with himself, and himself, with Daan Matuwid, DU30 had made it clear he is not about to move toward such a stupid path (pun intended). So, let us stop looking for a politician in DU30 in the traditional mold. Many don’t know they are comparing a pineapple with string beans, and that is why they end up puzzled and bewildered.
DU30 has just one message: let us clean the filth. We cannot build a house on a ground that is filthy — on an active landfill full of garbage. A house on such a landfill eventually comes crashing down with no one trying to be responsible for the crash, and yet each one trying to conveniently blame another. Simple, no one checked the ground and the foundation. So, unlike other politicians he could not promise building a beautiful house as of yet. All he promised was that he would initiate the cleaning. He will start clearing the ground of garbage since there seems to be no one who wants to undertake this dirty job seriously, though many have paid it lip service and lately, with a hyped slogan. And the job is going to be dirty for how could one try to remain clean when one gets to touch dirt.
But, he is not trying to identify the message with himself, nor himself with the message. He said many times: please forget him if you don’t like the message. If you like the message, then see if he is dirty enough who could do the dirty job. But, voila, certain people could not reject the message nor him for there is something logical about what he is saying. In the process, wittingly or unwittingly, he has created a movement. One should only take a look at the crowds in GenSan, Davao and Cebu simultaneously holding their own rallies with that crowd in Luneta. DU30 didn’t show up in those three other rallies, but only in Luneta. If that is not a movement, I don’t know what is.
Unfortunately, MBC-MAP, the media, and others don’t see the movement; they only see a DU-dirty. Yes, it is a nebulous movement as of now, but if they look closer, they will see that a seed has been planted. Perhaps, the movement will die a natural death, if the seed does not get planted in the grounds of Malacañang. But, we know that good ideas, especially the ones based on so much commonsense, have a way of sprouting out in the most unexpected manner. The powers-that-be are therefore well advised if they take a closer look if that crowd in Luneta was just a political rally or a movement.
MBC-MAP and the media could be forgiven for their blindness. They are so used to looking for traditional politicians, inept or not, provided such Trapos could fatten their bank accounts. This is especially true in the last six years when 75% of the wealth of the nation just went straight up to the pockets of the the Top 10%, and the 90% have been left competing for the crumbs.
The Ateneo faculty and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, however, cannot be forgiven for their superficial reading of the situation. They see the outside dirt of DU30, but cannot see internal rot of the society, which would not be if they only did their job as the moral guardians. And yet, in their holier than thou mentality, they are casting the first stones in a political arena, a secular territory in which in the first place, they should be hands-off. If they had done their jobs, perhaps we don’t need to debate a DU30. But since the filth is real and ever-present, shouldn’t they be the first ones to embrace the guy who has offered himself to do the job they have failed to do? Maybe, they don’t know the answers, and that is why a movement is inevitable.
teary eyed while reading your post…great job Add…hoping for a better future for my kids under DU30 and beyond