Many would have understood if President Rodrigo Duterte had devoted a big portion of his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) to blaming his predecessor. After all Duterte did acknowledge, just the same, that the Philippines is still in a “mess” and that Filipinos are suffering. But Duterte’s first SONA came across like a breath of fresh air to an audience who, at last, did not have to listen to blaming and finger-pointing in a presidential speech.
Duterte, for his part, assured the people that vindictiveness is “not in [his] system” and stressed the importance of mustering the courage to face challenges “undeterred by the fear of failing or losing”. This is a leader who faces the future equipped with a clear vision he aims to fulfil. When a leader has that vision, courage comes naturally. In Duterte’s SONA, the courage behind every word he utters is palpable. Filipinos will likely follow Duterte into battle if asked to fight. This is as much as any people can ask of a leader — that he be made of the right stuff.
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Amidst all that, the president still emphasised: “Finger-pointing is not the way of honourable men,” an obvious dig at his predecessor, former President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III. Unlike Duterte who made a name for himself with his tough stance against crime and injustice, Aquino had made his mark as a blame gamer, taking every opportunity to attribute all the ills of his administration to the handiwork of his predecessors. In this commitment to run with what’s been handed to him without looking back, Duterte also shows he intends to play the hand that was dealt him astutely.
The first SONA is, of course, always an easy one — because a new president just starting to warm his seat is still in a honeymoon with his office and his constituents. The excellent statesmanship Duterte has thus far exhibited is yet to be tested against the hard standards that reality subjects those who face it armed with bold plans. That fact, however, is not enough justification for the scornful dismissals Duterte’s detractors’ heaped upon social media timelines during the speech. Then again this, after all, is stuff coming from quarters in Philippine society that remain beholden to the cast of characters of that vindictive administration that Duterte uses as a model of what his government should not become.
Observers and commentators, as a result, seem to be having a field day trying to reduce the Duterte presidency to a simple punchline. This is, suffice to say, a difficult task considering that the scope of Duterte’s vision as laid out before today’s audience is broad and potentially packs substance. The easy target, evidently, is the “human rights” angle the usual suspects latch onto because of the easy play it presents to deep-seated fears that (they think) continue to linger in the Filipino psyche.
The alleged “extrajudicial killings” (EJKs) that have come to mark the first month of the Duterte presidency may resonate amongst a small inbred clique of traditional bleeding-heart “activists”. Unfortunately for these “activists”, the tired appeals to emotion backdropped by victim and violence porn no longer move the broader sentiment of a public sick and tired of the endemic criminality of Philippine society. That style harks back to the 1980s when the bruised and bloated remains of Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr were put on exhibit to highlight the violence of his “sacrifice”. It seems, Filipinos no longer buy the idea that there is something saintly about being a victim. Rather, they now likely see in the latest image of a bloodied stiff sprawled on a Manila street one less menace and not “the most recent EJK”. Perhaps it becoming more evident that “human rights” activists are now seriously miscalculating the effectiveness of what has become an obsolete approach to mounting these so-called “awareness” campaigns.
Former President Aquino, after all, is an easy act to follow, and the Filipino people, today, an easy people to please. Duterte has, as it turns out, his predecessor and the “mess” he left to thank for the strong mandate he enjoys today to do what needs to be done to clean that mess and that sorry legacy he inherits.
[Photo courtesy Yahoo! News.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
We have many problems to be solved. Our country is in a mess. The Shabu Drug problem,alone, is a very tremendous problem. The Chinese Triad Drug Mafiosi has already gained a foothold in our country. They corrupted and bought high ranking Filipino politicians and government officials.
We need to resolve the invasion and occupation by the Chinese on Philippine territories, like the Scarborough Shoal…
Squatters are in every major cities in our country. We need good housing development.
The yearly flooding of Metro Manila must be solved. A good flood control can be designed and built…there must be a way to decongest Metro Manila and other major cities …
A good railway system is a good solution to transport large amount of people.
Feudalism is still with us. We need to get out of this obsolete land owning system. Hacienda Luisita, and other Haciendas; must be distributed to the farmers/tillers. Land Reform programs must be fully implemented…
Graft and corruption need to be minimized. There should not be any selective justice…
Unemployment is a huge problem in our country. OFWs, like me, must be given a break, in our payment of fees and taxes. We become the “Walking ATMs” , of the Philippine government.
The Cory Aquino constitution must be amended, to favor foreign investments in our country. The Aquino constitution, favors , the Feudal Oligarchs; and the rich Chekwas !
the ghost of hacienda luisita can rest in peace now.
“the Courage behind every word is palpable’…what bullshit.”Filipino’s will likely follow Duterte into battle if asked to fight”….WHAT? More bullshit, got a crystal ball do ya?
‘The alleged extra-judicial killings’,LOL !! ALEEGED? They just started to happen after the guy who stated he would do EXACTLY that, is now ALLEGED? and ‘the ejk’s may resonate with a small clique of bleeding heart ‘activists’…’…SORRY ,I CALL BULLSHIT !!! According to the clown that wrote this drivel, being concerned about ‘due process’ is a quality that ‘bleeding hearts’ have? MORE BULLSHIT !!!
Killing ANYONE in the street, when it is OBVIOUSLY sanctioned by the newly elected President is a BIGGER problem that the clown that wrote this thinks. Duterte should be stringing up the thieves that have been ruinging and plundering the country for the last 50 years if he is serious about changing anything. Killing two bit drug dealers may get the idiotic “MASSA”(the writer must be part of it) all riled up and ‘ready for battle’ as this clown states, BUT TO BATTLE WHO? CHINA? YEAH, Good Luck with that.
MURDER IS MURDER and when it happens to you NEXT, Failipino’s will have no recourse thanks to ‘due process’ being thrown out the window….
SO BESIDES KILLING SOME DRUG DEALER’s, what else is on the Neanderthalic President’s agenda? HHHMMMM? Not much yet, huh? Sure, it will take time….but killing some people in the street is murder and did not take long at all now did it?
How about going after the people that are fixing the price of electricity? The energy speculators that are stifling business? or the heads of the GOCC’s that are stealing everything that is not nailed down? or the people behind the front-running of the stock-market? (For those who do not know,front-running is worse on an economy that insider trading.
NO, you do not see any of the just mentioned problems being addressed by the Neanderthal,do ya? NO, just picking off the easiest target on the way to setting up what is on the way, but the slowly boiling frog that is the Failipino people just do not know it yet. Its getting hotter,isn’t it?
BWAH HA HA!!!!
Lol! So on what factual bases have you determined these killings to be potentially illegal and by what authority do you rule them to be murders?
Fact is, you’re playing the same game here, by summarily declaring these killings illegal and their intent murderous, you are also presuming to act as both law enforcer and judge. You are no different.
When people are murderedwithout due process, it is illegal.
Paint whatever picture you want to try and paint but the facts do not out weigh your scewed view on reality.
You are so far left you can not see the difference between right and wrong nor the future these sort of actions put in place.
The justice system needs an upheaval, bit throwing the baby out of the bath water is not the answer.
Sure it gets quick results but thats it, there is no oong term game plan in this stratergy.
Just more death, blood and bullets flying, innocent people murdered, either by mistake or in the cross fire.
When he leaves, who enforces then?
Where is all this money coming from to increase wages of the law enforcement?
Where is this money coming from to increase the salaries of teachers?
its too early to say dutertes government is a good one.
So far it seems to be a bloody one.
Corruption and poverty and the culture is the filipino peoples diseases.
Drug use is a problem every country is facing.
We know from history rounding up low level drug dealers does not curb drug use.
It just makes the drugs more expensive, the gangs more dangerous and the bribes more lucrative.
A 16 year old, that was no associated with drugs was killed the other day.
When the law effects innocents than the law is wrong.
Its there to protect, serve and hold up the law, not to be the judge, jury and executioner.
I had high hopes for Duterte. I really did, but this is not the way to go about getting the youth off drugs.
There are no jobs for these people.
They have limited education.
They have no real choice but a life of crime.
These are the symptoms of poverty, corruption and a outdated caste system.
Wiping these people out will not cure the sickness.
You must know that benign0.
I have read u write the same thing not long ago.
How can your political and moral stance change so quickly?
@TheVoiceOfReason:
Some things you are assuming:
(1) these “killings” being reported in the news are “murder without due process”.
(2) “there is no long term game plan”
Take note, the above two are mere assumptions.
As I mentioned to Vlad earlier, on what bases do you make these assumptions?
So are the mere assumptions they were guilty..without evidence and due process to back it up.
Have you heard of a long term game plan?
I sure have not….
So its my assumption since there has been zero talk of a long term game plan other than” lets kill drug users” because they are bad people, seems to be the only game plan.
Education, actually increasing the standard of living and a police force you can trust….thats just a pipe dream at this stage.
Do u want me to quote the President again about how its ok if citizens kill drug users?
Thats not a long term game plan….thats trying to implement chaos and fear.
All life is precious and unless we are better then the criminals we supposedly hate, then we should remember and hold dear to that.
So please inform me, what is his long term stratergy?
Im dying to know….
Filipinos are not a sub standard human.
They have just had a shit series of shit presidents and government officals that have never actually helped anyone except themselves.
Ill admit it was refreshening not to hear whining about predecessors and blaming them for the cou tries woes.
We all know aquino was a shit president, its what brought me to grp in the first place.
Duterte has already proven he can get things done…the FOI Bill being a huge boost to my view of him.
But the drug war is poorly thought out in my opinion.
Without enough rehabilitation centres, education so these people have actual job skills( u know as well as i do they have none) and actual jobs they can go to….they will go straight back to the life they knew.
Tell me im wrong.
Absence of evidence of a “long-term game plan” is not proof of absolute absence of said “long-term game plan”, dude. I’m not an authority on Duterte’s strategic planning ops so I’m not in a position to “inform you”. I’m just saying you are making assumptions on the basis of incomplete information.
Same with the EJK you assert has been happening. Mere assumption. And the worst kind – one based on an incomplete knowledge of the situation on the ground.
But lets fave facts.
There has been no talk of a long term game plan.
So while absense of evidence of a long term game plan might mean or not mean there is one.
Im my long life i have noticed two things.
Absence of a long term game plan means exactly that.
There is none.
To claim i assume otherwise without proving or providing evidence to back up your point is ridiculous.
Your argument is the floating teacup theory.
You have not heard a long term plan towards curbing drig use.
I have not heard a long term plan against curbing drug use.
His long term plan is kill em, that will stop em.
Some of us have lived under dutertes rule.
not all of us are lemmings.
So therefore, you state your opinion. I’ve got mine as well which I articulated in the above piece. That’s as much as we can agree on.
The media only started to report numerous extra-judicial killings after Duterte took the seat. Hundreds of extra-judicial killings were done way before Duterte became president. Many of them were sanctioned by politicians. Now I have no concrete evidences for this as of course these things are not documented. So take my words with a grain of salt. And my statements fall under an ALLEGED statement.
As for Duterte sanctioning extra-judicial killings, it is still ALLEGED because there are no concrete evidences as of yet. The police stated that those people who were killed during police enounters fought back. Our law permits our police to shoot when their immediate lives are threatened. Now, whether that statement is a lie or not, the extra-judicial killings by Duterte would still be ALLEGED.
As for the other things you mentioned, are you forgetting Duterte has been president for less than a month. He’ll deal with those shit soon. You can’t possibly deal with all the country’s problems IMMEDIATELY. What kind of idiot would do that. Research needs to be done, plans need to be done to deal with most of this country’s problems. Don’t expect it to be done immediately.
What a long diatribe about basically NOTHING. ????
It’s literally an equivalent of Seinfeld except that show was actually entertaining.
This long rant?
Hardly entertaining.
It seems they have all forgotten his speech.
(“If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful)-Dutetre
So are these ejk and vigilante killings sanctioned or not?
460 murders since he came into office all of ” alleged ” drug dealers and users.
Thats within the space of 25 days was that figure.
He said to buy funeral palors, (
“I assure you you won’t go bankrupt. If your business slows I will tell the police, ‘Do it faster to help the people earn money’.”)-
“Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun, you have my support,” ) Duterte
So now we have nothing alleged. These were from televised speeches.
So stop your ” alleged” bullshit triade and admit it is fully sanctioned.
Dude, it’s very simple. If any law was broken, I’m sure De Lima and the rest of the rival political characters just waiting for him to slip would have pounced by now. As benign0 have said above, back your assertions with factual data, not emo-fueled liberal BS assumptions simply because you hate the guy.
Slap this in your face voice of treason the religiot hippie!
https://www.facebook.com/DatuLapulapuDimantag/photos/a.969326856446822.1073741828.969295043116670/1097613860284787/?type=3
Here’s a better idea: stop your own stupidity and admit that you’re just a full fledged TROLL. At least it makes more sense.
You’ve got some long but nonsense whining there utak squatter hippie.
Who needs a fucking long term plan when they’re all dead?
Shabu addicts and Chinese Triad Drug Mafia syndicate defenders are now blogging in the GRP !
These Tellowtards inhaled Shabu and are on high !
U r fully aware that i am not chinese nor do i use drugs of any kind. Stop stope your hate spewed filth hyden
@The Voice of Reason:
You are a YellowTard, who lost his income in Shabu trafficking. Now, the Chinese Triad Mafia Drug syndicate, hired you as their mouthpiece. You are blogging, while on high with Shabu…incoherent people , like you, should be in drug rehab clinics, not on GRP.
You said you want due process aaand yet you sound like you’re protecting them even if they are obvious notorious criminals…and hep hep hep you shut the hell up on throwing the hypocrisy rebuttal to me religiot hippie!
One exception does not invalidate an otherwise valid generalization.
But he blames various forms of criminal elements as the source of the nation’s problems. That sounds like a blame game.
Remember what he said about drugs back in his campaign before elections.
They are the source of problems now…Aquino and his Chekwa cahoots, allowed the Chinese Triad Drug Mafia to run around like happy rats and prosper their drug business…they did also the Laglag Bala extortion scam at the Manila International Airport.
Their YellowTard mouthpiece are now busy defending them on GRP !
and he said: ‘the drug lords are not here’ .. at the batasan???
To TheVoiceofWhatever and the rest of the idiots,
This is what I’ve noticed of anti-Duterte parasites.
Don’t give us your bullshit about due process and human rights, because you never believe in these things anyway and you are guilty of the same things you are accusing others. You are accusing thr police of EJKs and the President of sanctioning them WITHOUT HARD EVIDENCE and FACTUAL BASIS. That’s without due process right there. And you never made any noise back then when all these injustices were being committed eveywhere, before Duterte became a household name.
So stop your drivel, and let’s be real here. Let’s be honest. For whatever reason, you just don’t like the guy. You don’t like, even hate Duterte. That’s just it. It’s as simple as that. You are so damn used to pretensions that you yourselves like doing, that whenever someone comes along and tells it like it is without bs, it makes you uncomfortable.
Just be honest: you hate the guy, and you’re using all sorts of bs lame excuses to justify and mask your seething hatred of him. You’re using haughty noble self-righteous language (human rights and due process) to mask that disgusting stink within you.
Living in davao for 4 years.
Hard to hate duterte.
He is genuinely easy to like.
I have said it before..i agree with many of his propostions yet there are a few I completely disagree with because i Know how these exact measures have been implemented elsewhere.
All these measures do is drive up the price of drugs making them more lucrative.
These are just facts. Not opinions but time and time again proven facts.
I love how you lot seem to think if u disagree with a person u must hate him, but as i have said more times then,one many of you have a very one dimensional view of life.
Crminialty stampped out in 6 months is bullshit and u know it.
There is always going to be crime wether u come from a first world or third world.
Drugs and their use are sypmtoms of a decaying society, not the source of that decay.
Im at a loss where this money to increase the police and armed forces salary is going to come from.
Im at a loss how killing low end drug dealers and users is going to curb addiction, let alone stop corruption.
Its early days yet, you think these people handing themselves in to be rehabilitated is going to cure the reason they succumbed to drugs in the first place?
How many rehabilitation centres are there currently?
No where near enough to handle 10% of those that have ” allegedly” handed themselves in.
There is a very real reason people are voicing their opinions,that it appears as though due process is out the window.
The 260 odd murders by vigilante groups aside.
There has been three cases of prieoners, handcuffed byhand their backs, where the officers have claimed they tried to grab their guns. And were killed in the process, in a police vehicle.
Are u saying all these three incidents are legit?
When good guys kill bad guys we love them on the movies. But this is real life.
We have a moral standard to uphold for the next generation.
Stop with your crap and recognize not only is my opinion valid its also the opinion of many.
Human rights and due process is called living in a law abiding democratic republic.
The day when people turn thier nose and claim they are bleeding hearts is the day when there is zero chance for this country or the filipino people.
Yet you seem to think otherwise.
Psychotic and demented is that road….please do not go there.
Blaming people for your mistakes is a faster route to the dungeon of uncreativity.
And that’s what BS Aquino did from Day 1, and until now, well, he does. All the fuckin’ time.
Aquino is gone. Are we going to hear about him now for an additional 6 more years…6 years of him as a president was enough. Duterte was smart enough to not mention his predecessor.
Perhaps you should take note.
Sick of hearing that people that have a different view point must be yellow supportes.
hell disagree and apparently you r part of the Chinese mafia or a Shaboo dealer.
Time to get a grip.
Believe it or not, i understand how you guys think as you do…its the first time you see a president trying to change things.
Well its bullshit.
Every single government ofgical should have been trying to help their people right from when they were ekected.
Im so pissed that manny got in as a senator.
Its bullshit the filipino people have let it get this bad for this long.
U can blame aquino or whoever u want but the truth of the matter its u…its u that ne er tried to stop it.
Never got organized to rally against it.
This has been going on for far too long.
Aquino is not to blame. We are for letting hiim be the president in the first place. So lets not hear about him anymore ok….!
Duterte’s doing something. That right there is a lot better than the last six years we had with a non-functioning, Noynoying twit. Given the choices of presidentiables last election, Duterte stood out as the only viable option. Everybody (or that vaunted “plurality” yellows keep repeating ad infinitum) voted for him. And so far, everybody who did (and some) are happy with the results.
As for this:
Your choice. You have the option to read or not read anything here. But don’t presume you can dictate what people post here. All your comments are the same thing repeated like a broken record. You did not even bother to present a good argument to benign0’s rebuttal to your earlier posts. You’re just noise at this point. Nothing new to add to the discussion and an obvious troll who can’t present his views properly.
I find this the most surprising part of the SONA. Looks like from the viewpoint of our President there are times when the constitution (“due process”) does not apply (like in international waters)…
Here’s the full text of the SONA for those who want to “himay-himay” every word…
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/07/25/1606702/full-text-dutertes-2016-state-nation-address
This is a little off-topic but since we’re on the subject of SONA here, I thought I’ll raise the question here. What does Pres. Duterte mean by “Let’s give the BBL to Muslim brothers minus constitutional issues”? And also, in negotiating for peace talk with the revolutionary group (CPP-NPA, BFF, MILF, MNLF, Abu Sayyaf etc), does this involve them capturing those who committed crime against the people and the law? Because, you know, we’re in all out war against drug syndicates. Will there be an exception to those who claim to “murder” and wreak havoc due to historical rights?