The current political and social landscape in the Philippines is marred by former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war case. Both anti and pro supporters are throwing rocks at each other online, with the pro resorting to all sorts of fake news and information manipulation supported by ridiculous manufactured videos and photoshopped graphics.
Looking at these posts online, especially on Facebook, sometimes I laugh, but most of the time, I feel sad. I feel sad, not because of Duterte or the victims of his drug war and political assassinations during his time, but because of the bleak future of this generation. People lose integrity and common sense when they are carried away by their emotions supporting their political idols – like Duterte.
Before I continue, I am in my late 40s, and politics is not my game. I support any candidate whose ideas align with my own, regardless of their political background.
Born in Negros Island and spend more than half of my life in Batangas, Duterte was an unknown figure to me until he came into national spotlight several months before the 2016 Philippine presidential elections.
To his credit, and I agree, illegal drugs were a major problem then and are until today. Because none of his predecessors and his political rivals at that time focused on the dug problem, he because popular. His strong aura captivated millions of Filipinos, including me, who had seen hope for this country. I was excited for him to win and take the throne from the imperial Luzon.
I was running a vehicle auto repair shop during the 2016 elections. Duterte was a daily topic among my employees and customers. Most people supported him. I bought dozens of T-shirts and had them printed at the Duterte Campaign Headquarters here in Tanauan City. I then distributed the T-shirts to my employees and regular customers, most of whom were Jeepney drivers.
The first couple of years of his administration were good for me. Hearing drug addicts whom I had known personally get arrested, it was always satisfying. He really did, cleaned the streets out of bad people, and I give him credit for that, but not until a couple of years later.
The number of deaths from his drug war increased day by day; however, no big players were arrested until political figures like Espinosa, Parohinog, and Mabilog came into the scene. His controlled Congress and Senate threw Senator Leila De Lima into jail without solid evidence. He used drugs as a reason to chase after his political opponents. De Lima, being a former Secretary of Justice, investigated him during his time as Mayor of Davao City. Who knew that Duterte would harbor such deep hatred toward De Lima?
Enter the West Philippine Sea issue. Duterte tried to appease Xi Jinping and followed him like a dog, but he got nothing. He distanced himself from the Philippines’ most important ally and even cursed Pres. Obama. Nothing good was going on at that time. Then, there was a Pharmally issue where most of the people involved were close to him. Instead of finding the truth, he defended the suspected perpetrators. As a result, the country lost billions of pesos to the Chinese scammers.
These events made me rethink my support for him.
I didn’t lose support for him even after he completed his term. I voted for Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte, and this is when everything started to turn South.
At first, I didn’t care about Sara. Her opponents running as vice presidents were weak, so I voted for her. Contrary to the narrative that Marcos won because of Sara, I voted Sara because of BBM.
Everything started when Sara dd not get whet she wanted – to be a Defense Secretary. Everyone who is in their right mind and following and analyzing the Philippine politics should know very well why Sara Duterte wanted to put the entire military in her hands. However, when she got the Department of Education instead of the Defense, she performed poorly and even managed the budget poorly. This is where the “Confidential Fun” became popular.
Because of the accusations thrown against Sara Duterte, the older Rodrigo came out of his cave and started a barrage of attacks against Marcos Jr. There was a “weak leader”, a “drug addict”, and other ridiculous accusations. Too many accusations but no evidence. However, because the majority of solid Duterte Supporters (DDS) are either ignorant or naive, they help their master share his tirades against Marcos online.
This is where I saw Duterte’s true colors. Not only the old Duterte, but the whole Duterte family. I’d seen how dysfunctional this family is. When Sara almost lost her wits cursing Marcos and Romualdez online, I decided I had had enough with this family. Watching Sara having a meltdown, I felt fear. Fear not for myself but for the whole country. I said to myself that this country will be doomed if this kind of mad person becomes the president.
Come 2025, the older Duterte is arrested. People started to post anything online supporting him, but I had the opposite thinking.
Remembering how arrogant, cocky, and hypocrit Duterte was during the Qudcom meeting, I can only tell myself how high this person think of himself. Remembering how Former senator Leila De Lima endured during those seven years of being detained, I felt disturbed. I’m not even a supporter of De Lima. My tears fall while watching former Mayor Jed Mabilog detail his horrible experience, evading Duterte and running for his life.
There are thousands of victims, but I cannot mention anything about them because each case has a different story. I can only analyze what I’ve seen on television and those people whom I’ve known personally. There were countless of local politicians assasinated, including our City Mayor Antonio halili. Although there was no solid evidence, stories and testimonies always pointed to Duterte.
Other people may have sympathized with Duterte and his family because of his advanced age, but ot me. He destroyed a lot of young families. De Lima, a woman, became a senior citizen inside the jail and was detained for 7 years without evidence until now.
Mabilog, although I didn’t know him personally, there was no evidence. Listening to and watching his testimonies, I feel sick. Watching other victims testify is sickening to the core.
Despite all of these, should I sympathize and feel pity towards Rodrigo Duterte? NO! His family should never be allowed to return to national politics, and he shouldn’t be allowed to return to this country.
