At a Palace oath-taking ceremony Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte insisted he did not steal even a peso from public funds. He also did not prosecute or send anybody to jail.
His only sin, he said, are the extrajudicial killings done in his all-out campaign against illegal drugs.
Immediately he scored high for his candor, but all too soon his handlers and spokesmen realized the implications of what the President said. And so they scrambled to explain his words and “put them in the proper context”—an all-too-familiar occurrence in the past two years.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Mr. Duterte was just being his playful self, highlighting the point that he is not corrupt.
Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said the President instead meant that the only issue against him is the one on extrajudicial killings.
“You know, the President is a Bisaya,” Panelo added, implying something about the way Bisaya talk that we are sure many from the island group will not appreciate.
This unfortunate speech pattern does little to boost Mr. Duterte’s credibility as a leader. He was elected precisely because of his maverick ways and the promise that he would perform his functions differently from the way his predecessors did. The people who continue to adore him say his spontaneity is refreshing after the rehearsed, if clinical, pronouncements of those who came before him.
When his minions come forward to “explain” what he really meant to the people, the message is that we have a leader who cannot be taken seriously. This is a grievous offense for a chief executive. How can you respect and believe in a leader who either does not mean what he says, communicates poorly, does not know what he is talking about, changes his mind on a whim—or is a really poor joke-teller?
This is why we refuse to accept any subsequent explanations on what the President means from anybody else. Let Mr. Duterte rise and fall on his own words. He has had sufficient experience as a lawyer and local politician. He should know that words carry consequences. He should know that he should not rely on other people to clean up after him, and that president of the land, he should be circumspect about everything that comes out of his mouth.