"Speculation is disgraceful and unchristian."
"Speculation is disgraceful and unchristian."
Of course, all of us should be concerned about the health of the President. And not just him. All the top officials of the land who are in the line of succession to the most powerful job in the country should be in our prayers. We want them to be in tip-top shape to ensure that in any eventuality, the affairs of state will be in the hands of those constitutionally mandated to assume leadership of this benighted land.
But it is one thing to be concerned about their health specially the President’s. It is another to inject, no mater how subtle or subdued, an element of troubling unease to merit a survey the result of which is liable to be (mis)used to promote an agenda other than public concern over the state of chief executive’s health. As in the latest SWS survey.
To say, for example, that 55 percent of all adult Filipinos “are worried that President Duterte will have health problems” and then follow that up with another “worrying” statistics as in “45 percent believe the President has health problems…while 26 percent believe otherwise..” is to induce a kind of doubt in the public consciousness about all the disclosures which have been issued by Malacañang and the President himself on his health condition. It invites and has in fact invited all kinds of speculation and, as expected, tirades from the critics. It is making splash where only a ripple is obtaining.
To be sure, the latest revelation by President Duterte himself that he underwent a second test on what has been known all along as his problematic organs is cause for concern. But, as my doctor friends said, these tests are nothing extraordinary or spectacular. These are considered routine tests specially for older men. In fact, an internist friend kidded me that I should be doing these tests every two years since I turned 50 a decade or so ago.
But then again to challenge the President to tell the truth about his health after disclosing as much is to unduly politicize the matter of his health. It should have been enough that he made that disclosure and his Secretary of Health is saying not to make a big issue out of his situation. That’s that. To insist that his doctors should make the disclosure is way off. Even more uncalled for is Senator and LP President Francis Pangilinan’s statement expressing misgivings on the President’s sincerity when he made that disclosure. He snickered that the doctors not Duterte should have issued the bulletin.
Look where this rapid SWS survey, Pangilinan and his ilk have brought us to. Isn’t it enough that the disclosure was made and that in due time a more pronounced assessment of the President’s state of health will follow? After all, the doctors cannot in a day or two make a proper and responsible prognosis of what the tests have brought to light. I am sure Pangilinan understands that. But no—he has his misgivings, as if he was hoping a worse prognosis should have been issued.
In any event, the President has disclosed what happened. We have to take his word for it. Otherwise, the debate over his health and the consequences of too much give-and-take. he said-she said statements will drag us down to unknown territories which can only stymie our efforts to temper our people’s fears and anxieties. This, at a time when we are being buffeted by worries bout prices of basic commodities and the so-called Red October move to oust the President.
Which brings us to another point. A lot of people believe that Duterte’s health would not have been front page news at all if there is no active effort to oust him before his term ends in 2022. This latest contrivance is just the latest issue in the long list of issues which have been used to sap the goodwill and strength of this administration. First, the EJK and the drug wars. This dragged for a while but has since tapered off specially after the SWS said 80percent of all adult Filipinos favored the war on drugs. Then, the drug smuggling cases which have hardly dented the President’s standing. Third, the war on corruption which was initially derided by Duterte’s critics as haphazard and a strike at tokenism. Then, the increased prices of basic commodities and inflation which have been lingering on for sometime. Of course, there was the martial law and dictatorship spiel which did not gain any traction at all. Now, his health.
The critics and the worriers should take a deep breath. While the President’s health is of concern to us all, it is not something which should be misused for political gain. Every President before has had their own share of health issues. And, its own set of critics. Then President Estrada who was rumored to have been presiding over his “kitchen cabinet” daily up to the wee hours of the morning had his own health issues which resulted at one time for some groups to urge him to step down to pave the way for then vice president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. That call was made even as there was no grave health issue to look into. Before that, President Ramos had what people said were private meetings and stayed out of sight for a day or two prompting calls for him to disclose what he has been doing on his own.Then President now Speaker GMA has a number of operations and was told to take care of her neck after three major operations.
Indeed, the matter of the President’s health is of critical importance. But not to the extent of doubting or even dismissing his disclosure as a prelude to attacking his administration. That is not only disgraceful. It is simply unChristian.