“Sara’s blunders and faults can no longer be seen by the blind”
ONCE and for all, let me say this; I am biased against Duterte.
Shocking? Well, not really.
I have made it absolutely clear from the day his watch saw the closedown of ABS-CBN, the country’s most influential broadcaster. It crushed a part of my dream to step foot into its busy studios. It left me sleepless for a time during that week. My rage was filled, heightened only by letting his spiritual soulmate Quiboloy run a network that spewed out propaganda and fear mongering.
His revenge on ABS-CBN was one among many things that grew my longing to see his administration come to an end. He had a lot of baggage to carry as he assumed the presidency. A lot, I could only assume.
But seeing the human side of Duterte, a man whom I have never known in my entire life, could make me feel civil in a conversation with him.
Duterte loves to, in the Gen-Z lingo, yap about a lot of things. He made his life an open book, letting his legions of supporters know about his love for women, guns, and violence. He likes stoking fear about the rise of crime as well as the alleged spread of illegal drugs in the country. He would go on a slew of curse words to effectively demonstrate his anger towards the order of things that came before his time.
His spontaneity won the hearts of ordinary Filipinos who felt dismayed over the administrations that succeeded Marcos Sr. Admit it or not for critics like me, his popularity remains inevitable. Or even a painful sting to cope up with a reality ever present today.
Because the elder Duterte reflects the common man.
Now, I wouldn’t say the same towards his cherished daughter, Sara. Unlike Digong, I have met her once in an ambush interview on her final day as the Secretary of Education. I was covering her last day for the Manila Standard as an intern. Unfortunately, for the ever-loyal supporters of their family clan, Sara is, well, just another ordinary politiko.
Compare Sara to her papa. When the press wanted to seek a spontaneous interview with her on plans after leaving the agency, she seemed to be on the defensive. She wanted to try and avoid the reporters – the unforgiving creatures we were – in listening to questions that might stung upon her ear. She was already committing blunders, including an attempt to pose herself as a ‘designated survivor’ in the event of Bongbong Marcos’ State of the Nation Address last year. Neither this was a joke nor a threat, she claimed, without providing any further reason.
When her press officers asked us to be in order, I snuck out of my post in my foolish attempt to know what she was trying to relay to her undersecretaries. Michael Poa was one of them. Together with another official, the three of them huddled before she met the press.
True enough, she only left two words to respond to the ongoing split of the UniTeam – no comment.
To be fair, though, she all gave us that opportunity to ask questions crucial for her political future. Para raw may maisulat pa kami (thank you for that, by the way).
Sara was cautious in her incumbent position. Unfortunately, this cost her more than what she thought she could have bargained for. She is worlds away different from her father, who finds herself cornered at most times. Her appeal is inauthentic, including her rage, which is similar to the leaders who came before 2016.
She really has to learn more from the wisdom of her papa, now incarcerated at the International Criminal Court. Her movements have to be deprogrammed, otherwise she could remain herself as the laughing stock of the entire family.
Unfortunately, her blunders and faults can no longer be seen by the blind.
Oh well, next gaffe please!
(The author tries to cure his haywire from his personal grind as he writes essays away from the news. For comments, you may reach him at ngrolando2003@yahoo.com.)