Filipinos abandon The Yellow Narrative and embrace The Duterte Way

Filipinos’ gripes are really quite simple and straightforward. There is no justice. There are no consequences for law breakers. Due process is too slow. Nothing changes. There is no political will to change. The genius in the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is hinged upon a simple habit. His government listens to and empathises with ordinary Filipinos.

The lower 95 percent of Filipinos can relate. Without the political connections and resources enjoyed by the upper 5 percent, everyone is subject to the opague, snail-paced, and aribitrary nature of practically every system and process in the Philippines. To the average Filipino, concepts of due process and rule-of-law are so abstract to begin with. As such, getting the average man-on-the-bangketa to take the leap of faith and place their trust in these abstract systems is a hard sell. To be fair, Filipinos, for some time, have embraced them and regarded the democracy and its institutions “restored” in 1986 as the key to a future national prosperity.

Unfortunately, Filipinos have been let down. 30 years of “democracy” has failed to deliver on the promise of fair and swift justice and modern services that serve all at a consistent level of quality regardless of social status and financial means. The story can be likened to the way Lucy would, in so many words, persuade Charlie Brown to kick the football only to yank it away as he came running in for the punt.

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1993

The Duterte Way appeals to Filipinos because it seeks to extricate them from the recurring pattern of promise-and-then-disappointment that follows the six-year election cycle. Election in and election out, promises issued by candidates are founded upon the “civil” and “decent” dogma of liberal democractic ideals enshrined in what is now known as the “Yellow Narrative” — the emotionalist no-substance philosophy that dominated political discourse in the Philippines over the last 30 years.

The backlash following mass disillusionment with the Yellow Narrative and a wholesale embrace of the Duterte Way is what we are seeing today.

Well underway is Duterte’s allegedly bloody “war on drugs” that has so far put the Philippines within the radars of various human rights “watchdogs” and liberal media outlets in the West. And then there is the threat he issued the other day to pull the Philippines out of the United Nations and start “its own thing” with China in response to mounting criticism for this. Recently, it is a reported directive to sack politically-appointed government officials in agencies still perceived to be corrupt.

The psychology behind all this is quite simple. Filipinos want to see visually-arresting representations of government action on key national issues and tangible equally visually-arresting results. Duterte is delivering both by the bucketloads, but his key challenge is in how adeptly he swings the double-edged sword he wields. One edge is evident — he has captured the imagination and trust of the Filipino people by being both decisive and resolute, to the point of pissing off powerful interest groups. The other edge will manifest itself once he follows through with his backswing — delivering results in a sustained manner.

In short, Duterte must not squander the political capital he has amassed both from the winning rhetoric he consistently fielded during the campaign and the perfectly-aligned follow-through on this rhetoric as president in the last couple of months.

75 Replies to “Filipinos abandon The Yellow Narrative and embrace The Duterte Way”

  1. So in just a few weeks, Duterte has destroyed the global image of the Philippines. Even the United Nations Human Rights division wants to get involved. This “thug” President that you have placed in a pedestal has not only forsaken the rule of law, he has begun tarnishing our diplomatic ties with America and other Western countries.

    Why do you defend this thug, Benign0?

    Hindi ka ba nahihiya? Or perhaps the rumors are true that you are a paid hack to cause discord in Philippine society. So is Mr. Kritz your CIA handler?

    Your support for Duterte has exposed you.

    Enjoy Your Blunder!

    1. Proud Pinoy,

      No Asswipe. This “thug” president is going to revolutionized the “fucked up” arrogant and self-serving ways Filipinos think and live their lives, by knocking them off the egoistic pedestals they’ve put themselves on, and to teach them how to start thinking as one nation.

      What global image are you trying to protect? The whole world already knows we’re a “fucked up” nation that full of religiously hypocritical and unmanageable people, whose only fame to glory is being good at mimicking other more successful nations with our cheesy talents and ability to feign loyalty (kiss ass) to get what we want.

      Then once we get a little status in life– by means of money and influence–we use those acquisitions to condescend and oppress one another, by trying to live the life of aristocracy.

      Your name (Proud Pinoy) is benefiting of your personality: selfish and arrogant for all the wrong reasons, and shared by many proud Pinoys in the Philippines that have contributed to our “fucked-up-ness” of our country.

      Damn, you’re an idiot.

      Aeta

    2. [Revised]

      Proud Pinoy,

      No Asswipe. This “thug” president is going to revolutionized the “fucked up” arrogant and self-serving ways Filipinos think and live their lives, by knocking them off the egoistic pedestals they’ve put themselves on, and to teach them how to start thinking as one nation.

      What global image are you trying to protect? The whole world already knows we’re a “fucked up” nation that is full of religiously hypocritical and unmanageable people, whose only fame to glory is being good at mimicking other more successful nations with our cheesy talents and ability to feign loyalty (kiss ass) to get what we want.

      Then once we get a little status in life– by means of money and influence–we use those acquisitions to condescend and oppress one another, by trying to live the life of aristocracy.

      Your name (Proud Pinoy) is befitting of your personality: selfish and arrogant for all the wrong reasons—shared by many proud Pinoys in the Philippines that have also contributed to the “fucked-up-ness” of our country.

      Damn, you’re an idiot.

      Aeta

    3. YOU DUMB FUCK!!!
      from the way you’re talking it’s pretty obvious you’re not residing here in the philippines, you have not experienced any of the shit people that belonging to the 95% mentioned in the article above goes through each day…

      so just STFU if you know nothing of what these people are going through day in day out. The president is trying to correct all the bullshit left by the past 30 years of yellow crap show.

      step down your high horse, you ignorant “PROUD PINOY” hipocrite!!!

      again, let me just say…

      YOU DUMB FUCK!!!

      1. T@ KID PANUHOT, tryin to correct WHAT?HOW? Killing a few hundred street level drug dealers does exactly what?

        Duterte has forgotten how to arrest and convict criminals and has bypassed the RULE OF LAW and has not done a single thing to address THE REAL PROBLEMS IN THE COUNTRY: Massive Unemployment, highest electricity prices in the world, GOCC contract riggng,front running the stock market, Corruption at all levels of the government, the plunder of the Philippine traesury by the same S E Asian criminal organization that has had a stranglehold on the economy for the last 60 years…and you cheer for the Neaderthalic Thug? Your a bigger idiot than an idiot like you can even imagine.

    4. Pretty much proud pinoy…pretty much.
      Wether Benig0 is a paid hack?
      I admit i am unsure and though i have voiced that accusation before but i have no proof so would rather not take a page out of Duterte’s book and slander him without cold hard facts.

      As for a nation wholesale embrassing duterte? Wtf?
      I have only seen a small loud contigent across social media which i presume are fantatics with very little ground in reality.
      Daddy Duterte showed how unhinged he is with his midnight ramblings about the UN not helping here..
      Does everyone forget the support they gave for yolanda so quickly?

      http://www.unfoundation.org/what-we-do/issues/united-nations/un-agencies-funds-and.html
      Heres a list of different programmes run in this and every other country sponsored by the UN.
      How many more face slap moments do you all have to have before you realise what he is?
      Hell he was admitting he was involved in planting evidence as a prosecutor.
      He is unhinged and so are his zealot followers.
      My suggestion is if you have the means, leave.
      This is a train wreck going in slow motion.
      im going to buy a few thousand shirts with ” i told you so” on it.
      When it happens pm me..ill send u one.
      No use using reason here proud pinoy.
      It left the building long before duterte was in office

      1. It is not a question of how much was given by who. The question is where did the money go?

        I’m a European living here since more than 30 years and I can tell you that I am fascinated by Duterte. Finally a politician who cares for his people and not about what outsiders think. He IS a patriot. His tongue is as straight forward as he is straight forward in dealing with things in a simplified way.

        As for his “unhinged midnight ramblings”, as you call them, it was more than obvious that he was drained of energy and dead tired. You do his job at age 71.

        All you dumbasses do is criticize every move he makes, without realizing and admitting what moronic, incompetent and corrupt half-wits have been running this country for the last 30 years, especially the last 6 years. So this is who you are rooting for is it? You sympathize with corrupt nit wits who have been ass fucking everyone by plundering and poisoning this country?

        You should be grateful you dim mouth-breather , that there is someone like Duterte who cleans house, because if this insane shit would have gone on, this country would be completely and utterly fucked. The Philippines is messed up already, but at least now there is a light on the horizon.

        So who is the real twisted ass-clown here?

        It’s you VoiceOfTreason and that other fucker Proud Pinoy.

        Yeah, you are the reason we need people like Duterte!

        So if you don’t want this country to improve and don’t want to help, then at least shut your fucking pie-holes and get out of the way you cretins!

        1. you got the concept of our people. western ideas is not working here.

          30 years with the 1987 constitution fucked all us up.

      2. So you are agreeing with a guy who was a proven Yellowfag and a TROLL who is also known for his hit-and-run tactics?

        No wonder why people here won’t take you seriously because you have very low standards. It’s hypocritical of you if you don’t admit it.

    5. The yellow narrative was founded upon deception.
      The Duterte way- upon realization.

      Why should we trust a first world(?) gov’t that systematically destroys other nations? UN? What exactly has it done to “unite” nations? As the president says, INUTILE

      1. What?
        Do u even listen to yourself?
        What nations have they destroyed?
        What exactly has it done to unite nations?
        Are u for real right now?
        Do u have any idea how idiotic your statements sound?
        Did U go to the same schooling system as duterte? That u just make shit up to agree with your narrative?

        1. Hey, who is the idiot here?

          Throughout the twentieth century, since the onset of modern terrorism began in 1968, no reaction from the UN regarding terrorism; a simple condemnation was as far as they would go.

          At the creation of the UN in 1945, the United States was the only nation in the world to own and test nuclear weapons. So how about the UN’s failure of the non-proliferation treaty? It details the ineffectiveness of the United Nations.

          The civil war in Sri Lanka, the fighting forced 196,000 people to flee and trapped over 50,000 civilians. The United Nations made no attempts to intervene on behalf of the civilian population. From January to April of 2009, over 6,500 civilians were killed in this so called safe-zone.

          Reports about UN blue helmets from Bosnia, Kosovo, Cambodia, Haiti, and Mozambique revealed a shocking trend; areas with peacekeeping forces saw a rapid rise in child prostitution.

          The Bosnian War; in 1995 20,000 Bosniak refugees fled to the UN compound in Potocari, seeking protection from the advancing Serbs. Despite the UN peacekeeping force present, Serbian soldiers entered the camp, raping Bosniak women and murdering freely while the Dutch peacekeepers did nothing. By July 18th, 7,800 Bosniaks were dead, due largely to an ill-equipped and unprepared UN force.

          Until 1994, the United Nations recognized the Khmer Rouge as the true government of Cambodia, despite the fact that they had killed 2.5 million Cambodians, amounting to 33% of their total population.

          How about Darfur?
          Rawanda?
          How about spreading cholera in Haiti and the Iraq oil for food program where large sums of money were channeled into private pockets, some even being used to buy influence at the UN itself.

          So are you for real right now? Did I make “this shit” up?

        2. burn!!! madapaka…

          didn’t ur mom ever told you that if you have nothing nice to say, then better shut the fuck up that piehole of yours…

          it’s because of dimwits like you who that the Philippines has become what it is today…

          so please do all of us a favor and go sign up for the conquer mars program of NASA…
          hopefully u get butt fucked by martians.

        3. It’s really pointless to argue with people who are locked on a narrative churned out by skewed media.. That also goes for
          an international organization that cannot even do its own investigation before releasing condemning statements. With such a display of incompetence, it’s not surprising how global issues have turned out as they are now.

          “Did U go to the same schooling system as duterte?”
          I can’t speak for Sir Duterte, but I’m for independent systems.
          As for who is the real idiot here, it’s safe to say that they’re the ones who support the type of ideas supplied by the same type of media they subscribe to.

        4. Jim the un were the first on the ground after yolanda and most of the funds to support the philippine people came through them…
          Would u like to know what else they have done for the philippines or and u a typical duterard and list a few failures thinking this somehow outweighs all the good from an orginization?

          You swallowed the duterte propganda and whole and asked for more.
          How about u tryto discredit me and talk about my love life next….take another page out of dutrete’s book.
          The UN has had a few failures but they have had more than enough wins to make up for their failures.

          Whatgives u or duterte the right to criticize the UN….duterte is fould mouthed ranting tyrant.
          He has little though for the future and the proof is in the pudding with the current war on drugs.
          have a lovely day

        5. VoiceOfTreason, talk about your love life?

          I couldn’t as I’m sure you don’t have any. Who would be interested in such a sorry ass dullard like you?

          Oh, maybe call DeLima. She seems desperate enough at the moment. Maybe you get lucky….

    6. Proud Pinoy is more like a real-life Yellow FAGGOT and a TROLL who is known for his hit-and-run tactics.

      Mas nakakahiya ka because either you are missing the point or you are just TROLLING. Of course, you won’t admit because it is 100% true. Can’t admit your own blunders, er, I mean FAGGOTRIES. 😛

    7. Proud Pinoy,
      You are a shallow person because you don’t look at the bigger picture. You’re a gullible dumb ass because you can’t even tell when the Pres really means business or he’s just saying something rash on order to highlight his disappointment over some people or issues. You have no discernment at all.
      If you are what a proud Pinoy is all about, I’d rather not be a proud Filipino; but since Duterte is now the Pres of the Philippines and he delivers substance in a short period of time because of his commitment and love for the Filipinos and our nation, I can call myself the “genuinely proud Filipino”. You are a sorry excuse of a formation of cells which if terminated would do the whole country good.

    8. Why should we care about what the world thinks?
      When you look at Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, etc, do you even care? Let’s clean our own backyard first. Harapan mo, linisin mo!

    9. You’re just a troll, what has Philippines contributed to the world with its “global image” when the country is poor?

      Drugs have been destroying the country for a long time. Look at Mexico, still a mess because Duterte is not President there.

  2. the just concluded part1 of de lima’s probe on extrajudicial killings is of de lima and yellows defence to distract the coming HR 105 to probe why drugs proliferation exist inside bilibid prison under her watch. and did she win the first part?

  3. His government listens to and empathises with ordinary Filipinos.

    Well, the following is exactly what ordinary Filipinos (fed up with criminals, corruption, incompetence) have long been wanting to hear in a leader…

    8-21-16 President PressCon, Umaapoy sa Galit

    41:36: “I was never born to protect evil; I was born in this universe to suppress evil.” – Du30

    42:33: “If I go to hell, I will bring all of these criminals with me.” – Du30

    The Quezon “run like hell” quote and the Ninoy “worth dying for” quote just melt in comparison with Du30’s.

    1. DEYM!!!
      Mayor Digong’s quotes sends shivers down my spine…he is the only president that is willing to do the dirty job inorder to provide his people a clean and bright future.

  4. Just finished watching Day 1 of De Lima’s senate hearing on “extra-judicial killings”.

    It was very informative, but I think not in the way De Lima expected. If her goal was to discredit Duterte’s war on drugs, I think it may have backfired because the two witnesses she presented ended up confirming many of the things Duterte has been saying.

    The first witness was a woman whose live-in partner and his father were killed. The second witness was a woman whose mother and father were killed.

    1. Both Witness 1 and Witness 2 confirmed that all the slain victims—yes, ALL, including the dead parents—had a history of selling drugs, and only planned to stop after Duterte won the election. Witness 1 actually stressed several times that “si Noynoy pa ang presidente” when her slain live-in partner was actively dealing drugs. I don’t think De Lima meant to include this in her script.

    2. Both Witness 1 and Witness 2 confirmed that the killings took place just before or just a few days after Duterte assumed office on June 30, 2016. This is consistent with the belief of many people that it is the drug lords themselves and the crooked cops from the previous administration who are behind the killings, because they are cleansing their ranks and permanently silencing their pushers before the new PNP chief’s team can go after them.

    3. Both Witness 1 and Witness 2’s testimonies confirmed what Duterte has been saying all along that drug use, drug dealing, and drug-related corruption within the police and LGUs had grown to epic proportions under the previous administration, and nothing was done about it.

    De Lima did her best to appear neutral, but there were telltale slips that showed, like:

    1. Whenever the witnesses would start elaborating on the mechanics of the drug supply chain and the remittance of the money collected, she would stop the witnesses and tell them to just stick to her original question.

    2. She avoided asking a very glaring, very obvious question: Witness 1 admitted that she bribed police with P20,000 then P10,000 in two instances in the past so her live-in partner would not be arrested. Witness 1 also said her live-in partner only earned about P300 each time he “occasionally” sold drugs “para lang pantawid gutom” and had no other source of income. So who gave Witness 1 the P20,000 and P10,000 for bribing the cops in the past? De Lima did not probe this.

    3. De Lima was unable suppress her gleeful cackle when the new PNP official who took over the station where Witness 1’s live-in partner was detained said that the CCTV cameras at the station were not working when the live-in partner was detained there. There was this “huli ka!” expression on De Lima’s face, like she was glad that she finally fished something out of the witness that could paint the police in an unflattering light. (She seemed to forget that said new PNP official only took over the station after Duterte became president.)

    Other sidelights:

    1. Alan Cayetano questioned the media’s use of the term “extra judicial killings” and “vigilante killings” which are kind of biased. “Unexplained deaths” or “deaths under investigation” are more neutral. Agree, let’s all stop using the term “extra-judicial killings”, it’s bad for the image of the country.

    2. Ping Lacson had a similar comment about the CHR’s use of the name “Team Rubout” for their task force on unexplained killings. Lacson said the name alone already suggests the CHR is pre-judging the PNP. Absolutely correct. The head of CHR, Chito Gascon, is an Aquino appointee after all.

    3. Risa Hontiveros put her background as a theater actress to good use, asking pseudo-intellectual questions in a contrived “little girl” voice designed to camouflage her true nature as one of the most vicious rottweilers of the yellow camp. It’s embarrassing to listen to, actually, and it’s not fooling anyone, so she should just go back to her real speaking voice.

    4. The people in the room visibly flinched whenever the word “driver” was mentioned. De Lima to Witness 1: “Anong trabaho ng ka-live in mo?” Witness 1: “Driver po.” Audible gasps in the room. De Lima to Witness 2: “Anong trabaho ng tatay mo na namatay?” Witness 2: “Nagmamaneho po.” Muffled gasps.

    5. Trillanes could not pass up the chance to get some airtime, so he lectured the police about the world being around, and basically told them that someday when Duterte is no longer president there will be no one to protect them. Don’t worry, Sonny, karma is coming for you too.

    1. Confirmed. The unexplained killings are literally the result of the incompetence of the previous administration. I say this without sarcasm. They tolerated narco cops, then Bato threatened to investigate them, and so they killed their old contacts. Simple cause and effect, and now, the incompetent yellows are using this to make Duterte look bad. No wonder he’s pissed.

  5. The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and to produce results comes from living in the present not the past.

  6. The Aquinos, the YellowTards and their “People Power” did not do anything good in our country. They strengthened the Feudal Oligarch. The economy is in the control of their relatives and fellow Oligarchs. Graft and corruption were widespread. Shabu Drug proliferation is like a plague. Drug Lords are protected by Aquino and his cahoots. Immorality of De Lima, the former Secretary of Justice, has been shown, without any moral regret. The sister of Aquino, Kris Aquino, is herself an immoral person. Many lovers, many husbands , and many love affairs. She was even infected by STD…

    Duterte is cleaning the mess of the 30 years reign of the “People Power”. It is a lot of garbage, trash, stinks, grime, etc…

    The U.N. should concentrate on its humanitarian function. It does not have any business shouting on human rights on the Philippine situation. The U.N. should go to Iraq, Syria and Lybia; where human right is trampled everyday, by the ISIS Caliphate !

    Let Duterte do the cleaning in his own country!

  7. the next probe HR 105, jayvee sebastian, herbert colangco, and peter co should be present so that the driver will tell the truth. they are the ones who said they’re giving their protector 5 million weekly.

  8. Please!!!!….

    Make the country self-sufficient and independent from other countries/organization….

    DRUG/Corruption free or maybe by the least controlled/minimized but not rampant like what the “YELLOW CULTS” did….

    The one’s to blame are the “YELLOW CULTS” past administration who didn’t do anything to stop criminality/drugs rather than help them make drugs in Prison and make it 5 star hotels, didn’t do anything to help prevent/mitigate disasters rather than when it already happened adverstized online “HELP YOLANDA VICTIMS”, and when help/donations arrived, “STOLE IT”….

    Hey why didnt the UN instead ask ABNOY AQUINO what happened to the mssing 200+ BILLION YOLANDA FUNDS? Rather than intervene with the President Duterte’s cleaning and fixing and improving of what the “YELLOW CULT ADMINISTRATION” damages….

    1. Oh, stop blaming the politicians. There were people stealing Yolanda funds all the way from the Mayor’s office down to the street cleaners. I’m sure it wasn’t everybody, but I have no doubt 30-40% of the people involved were taking a little bit because “hey, everyone else is doing it” and “nobody is going to notice”.

      So how is the country going to become “self-sufficient” if the average Filipino sees nothing wrong with stealing from the poorest of the poor? There are too many Filipinos who think it’s OK to scam and cheat their way through life – taking as much as possible and giving back as little as possible. Until this stops, nobody can trust anyone enough to open a carinderia, never mind a large industrial operation.

        1. Fear is the only thing Filipinos will respond to. Everything else–love for the country and each other–takes second or third priorities, unless they stand to benefit from the display of those altruistic emotions.

          President Duterte is applying the “fear factor” very effectively, to get the arrogant and selfish Filipinos to fall in line as one people, and to march together to the same drum beat as one nation.

          “Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.”

          Thus, “it is much safer to be feared than loved because …love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

        2. Funnily enough, I notice the Catholic Church fails miserably in this regard. Notice that threats of hellfire are of no interest to the average Filipino. My theory is that this is because hellfire is beyond their 24-hour “stuff I give a shit about right now” window of attention.

          Duterte needs to bear that in mind: unless he can instill fear of immediate retribution, people will still carry on hurting each other, and then wonder why they (eventually) get punished.

        3. will snipers (rifles loaded with indelible ink) stationed on every overpass be enough to sow fear among “me-first” motorists and jaywalking wall-peeing pedestrians?

        4. No, but the idea of a swift kick in the ass waiting for these violators, once they’ve reached the other side of the sidewalk, will. Now that’s Fear.

        5. @zaxx
          that is a sound idea. swift, non-lethal punishment.
          paint bullets will still hurt. the stain it leaves is just a bonus.

  9. I do not like President Duterte’s actions. They are not consistent with the teachings of Christ. Even the way he speaks is full of anger, full of hate. He is indeed going to hell.

    Why cannot we have a True Christian president like Noynoy? I heard MLQ3 is a devout Christian. I am sure he will make a good president.

    Let us pray that Duterte does not destroy the Philippines.

    God bless.

    1. Don’t hang your idiotic religious shit on us. It has NOTHING to do with it.

      I’m sure all the child molesters in the Catholic church were “True Christians”.

      How many thieving murderers throughout history were “True Christians” and how many violent crimes have been committed in the name of Christ?

      Go ahead and pray, at least that will refrain you from talking nonsense.

      By the way, screw Noynoy and his Mama!

    2. I’m afraid Duterte will succeed where ERAP failed. Duterte will destroy the Philippines.

      I’m an Atheist, Pastor Ernie. So if there is a GOD, please help us now and save us from this monster. I will convert to your faith if this “miracle” happens.

      1. Just a friendly reminder that you and Pastor Ernie are the same person. Here’s a proof:

        I am still flabbergasted why so many Pinoys don’t appreciate satire and sarcasm. Sometimes you can make a point more devastatingly effective that way.

        Oh well, back to life. Until the next Philippine catastrophe. Have fun guys. The Philippines will remain a shit hole and there is only one solution: GET THE F*** OUT.

        Peace.

        Take your TROLLING to somewhere else, fag. ????

    3. Well, Fuck Christ and Fuck Muhammad. Both only exist in the imagination of their deluded followers. We can only hope Duterte destroys the Philippines–because it’s filled with fucked up, religious people–and rebuilds it from the ground up.

    4. Respectfully — I am surprised that a pastor would lablel Noynoy as a “True Christian president”. Plus, what is left to destroy? Morals – none? ethics – non existent? Humility – hahahah? It is time to rebuild. In doing so, trash and rubble has to be cleared out first.

      1. You said it. Filipinos have no clue what “Christian values” are. They seem to take great delight in breaking every single Commandment and indulging in all the Deadly Sins.

        Religion, in the case of the Philippines, is doing far more harm than good.

    5. I know your modus operandi, son. Because you’re the same guy who said this:

      I am still flabbergasted why so many Pinoys don’t appreciate satire and sarcasm. Sometimes you can make a point more devastatingly effective that way.

      Oh well, back to life. Until the next Philippine catastrophe. Have fun guys. The Philippines will remain a shit hole and there is only one solution: GET THE F*** OUT.

      Peace.

    6. you don’t like the new president because he’s the truth , criminals need to be punish , corruption shld stop , religion shld not participate to goverment policies bec all religions are just seeking for money for their own purpose and does not really care about the poor. aquino administration makes the counrty the worst corrupted country in the world. wide world we are known to be a corrupt country. what does aquino goverment , religion sectors offerred to make filipino lives better and safe?

    7. Why not the drug pushers who were destroying the country? Do you not realize why Duterte has to do his job when no other Presidents in the past could do?

  10. Just watched Day 2 of Senate hearing. Tables were turned once again on De Lima, without any effort it seems from the PNP or Duterte’s senate allies. This must really be karma at work, or Duterte’s magic is really strong.

    De Lima opened the session by saying she had asked ABS-CBN, Inquirer, and GMA 7 to submit their “kill list” databases and methodology for compiling the lists. However, only GMA 7 submitted. Strange. If those lists were being prepared properly, shouldn’t these media groups have their databases and methodology on hand at any time? Or were those lists haphazardly done?

    Sandra Cam showed up in the middle of the hearing and sat directly behind De Lima. But Cam disappeared after a while, so viewers were not treated to scratching and hair-pulling.

    A group of women wearing dark glasses, masks, and headscarfs sat in a row on one area–I don’t know why De Lima made them dress like jihadist terrorists, but they were her witnesses.

    (No offense meant to the witnesses. I sympathize with their plight. But one senator also commented that medyo O.A. ang level ng disguise. Parang ginawa for dramatic effect.)

    So, how did the senators fare on Day 2? The behavior of each was quite revealing.

    Drilon, for example, has been lying low since his relative in Iloilo (Mabilog) landed on Duterte’s narco-list. But this time, he went on the offensive and tried to trip PNP General Bato when Bato presented the breakdown of unexplained deaths. Drilon was smirking when he pointed out that the figure Bato showed yesterday was about 200+ lower than the number he showed today. But Bato just explained that the number has gone up because the data was updated and operations are continuing even while the senate hearings are going on. The yellow media are now feasting on this tidbit (“200+ deaths in 24 hours!”), but from the comments on the livestream, most viewers think Drilon has inadvertently outed himself because of what he did.

    De Lima’s composure–sorry, compozzzure–was rattled several times. First, when Sandra Cam turned up on the seat right behind her. De Lima looked startled, then tried to carry on with questioning Bato, but her questions got really nonsensical, like: “Are your Operation Tokhang activities covered by search warrants?” (Kakasabi lang ni Bato just minutes before that Tokhang only involves knocking on the door and pleading with suspects to change their ways, not entering their homes)

    She also asked, “Kapag kusa na sumuko at pumunta sa pulis, yan ba ay surrenderees?” To Bato’s credit, he remained cool and accommodating no matter how moronic De Lima’s questions got. Our housekeeper was yelling “Gaga!” a la Duterte at the laptop screen.

    After a while, pinaglaruan na rin ni Bato si De Lima. De Lima: “Paano kung hindi kayo papasukin (sa bahay)?” Bato: “Uuwi kami ng luhaan.”

    De Lima also continued to stonewall whenever someone was about to say something juicy. For example, when Manny Pacquiao was questioning the two police officers accused of killing the live-in partner of De Lima’s Witness 1 from yesterday. The accused cops said they found drugs on the live-in partner, contrary to what Witness 1 claimed yesterday (the cops were not around yesterday to give their side). De Lima butted in several times to ask if the two police officers (who have been charged with murder by the PNP) were waiving their right to have a lawyer present. The men had already said several times that yes, they were waiving their right to have a lawyer present, but De Lima kept interrupting and asking “Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?” until Pacquiao’s question trailed off without a response from Witness 1.

    (By the way, Bato said during the hearing that Pacquiao lent one of his lots in Region 12 to the PNP to be used as a site for rehab and livelihood programs for drug surrenderees. See, “disente” crowd? This is why someone like Pacquiao, despite his lack of pedigree and crooked English, can be greater than someone like Bam Aquino or Mar Roxas.)

    Grace Poe was rather odd today. She kept grilling Bato about the reward money for informants that Duterte talked about in the past. Almost like she was trying to get him to say something incriminating. Grace, as we know, is the protégé of Chiz Escudero, who is like a son to Roberto Ongpin, whose online gaming company Philweb has crashed since Duterte singled him out as an oligarch. Are we jumping to conclusions here? Maybe. But I really did not like the way Poe was behaving today.

    Ralph Recto was a pleasant surprise, asking very sensible questions about additional equipment needed by the PNP. He treated the police with courtesy and respect, did not patronize them, and asked real, constructive questions, not questions meant for grandstanding and power-tripping. Recto today conducted himself like a representative of the people, not a representative of the yellow party. Bravo.

    Ping Lacson, as always, was credible and sensible, tough but fair. He brought up the wiretapping law to aid intelligence gathering for Duterte’s anti-drugs campaign. This was another awkward moment for De Lima, since Duterte has mentioned he has heard a recording that can implicate De Lima’s driver.

    Towards the end, Dick Gordon said the things that the public was waiting for one of the senators to say. He reminded everyone in the room that the problem with drugs and killings has been going on for many years and previous administrations did not do anything about it. He asked the CHR head Chito Gascon, a dyed-in-the-wool yellow, “Why haven’t I heard anything from you about the people killed by riding-in-tandem etc, which has been going on for years? . . . The silence is deafening . . .” Gordon went on to talk about the Bilibid drug lords lording it at the national penitentiary, and Bato and Lacson jumped in, asking why the previous administration did not deploy the SAF to clean up Bilibid during its time, basically exposing the incompetence that created the enormous mess the PNP now has to clean up, until De Lima finally cut them off to wrap up the hearing, voice and jowls shaking.

    So ended the two-day hearing, and if De Lima’s plan was to stage all this to make herself look good and the police look bad, her strategy totally backfired. Because in the eyes of the public, the real winners of this two-day joust are General Bato de la Rosa and the PNP. General Bato, who kept calm, cool, and centered in round after round after round of moronic and repetitive questioning, by clueless, cosseted people who know nothing about the harsh realities that he and his men face everyday, who was probably exhausted from leading the war on drugs almost 24/7 for the last 2 months, but remained consistently gracious, polite, alert, and unshakeable while being grilled by idiots and hypocrites for five hours straight–my God, all I can say is, from now on, whenever you see a PNP officer on the streets or in the malls or wherever, go up to them and say Thank You. The yellow media can go on spinning their black propaganda, but let the police know that the yellow media do not speak for the Filipino people. The real Filipino people, flesh and blood standing right before them, appreciate the sacrifices that they are making, and thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

    1. Nice summation. Your closing statements wrap it all like a bunch of red and white flowers too. Salute to the PNP under Chief Bato and the backing of our beloved President Duterte.

    2. It was a fair and precise article. Same thoughts that I have in mind while watching it live. Appreciating our Law enforcers would a great idea to boost their morale especially in this war against drugs. Kudos to Pres. Duterte & PNP.. ????????????????

    3. Yes, I will do that. Thank the police. I know It will be like awkward at first but I have to do my part (aside from paying taxes & following traffic rules) as Filipino. Hopefully, I can contribute to the boosting the morale of the PNP in their fight against drug menace. This is well written. Kudos!

      1. It wasn’t a mistake on De Lima’s part. It was an intentional offense against society that only translated to a mistake after she was exposed.

  11. I think dapat hinde si De Lima ang inupong Chairman ng Senate Committee, napaka bias nyang magtanong. Its so annoying when she replied to Bato, when he told De Lima.. ” Sana noong time nyo naglagay na kayo ng SAF dun para hinde naging talamak ang pagpasok ng drugs sa bilibid”… De Lima answered.. ” Ginawa na namin yan, KAYA LANG MADAMI PANG DAPAT ASIKASUHIN… Tinanong pa namin mga abugado about it!”… Kitang kita ang walang sinseridad sa sagot nya.. NONSENSE!.. I even saw yung malimit na paglunok nya ng laway kapag nasusupalpal sya. She’s absolutely made herself miserable and stupid while conducting the investigation.

  12. Napakahaba po…pero tinapos ko dhil bawat salitang isinulat ninyo ay nararamdaman ko at may puso… Naawa ako sa mga kapulisan natin ngaun lang sila nagpursige nang sobrah dahil ngaun lang nila nakita at natamdaman na di sila pababayaan nang chief at presidente… buhay nila ang kapalit konting pagkakamali lng nila sa isang operasyun. Pero eto itong mga kampon nang #Kadilawan at CBCP at mga Ungas sa CHR. Na nagdodown sa mga kapulisan natin… nkakagalit dahil noong panahong mga kapwa nila Dilae ang namumuno at mas talamak ang patayan nang inocenteng mamayan dhil pinatay gihasa ninakawan..e mga bingi ang mga ungas… SANA TWING MAY OPERASYUN ANG MGA PULIS MAGSAMA SILA NG CHR AT CBCP AT SILA PAUNAHIN PUMASUK SA KUTA NANG MGA ADDICT PARA MALAMAN NILA GANO KA DILIKADO ANG MGA BUHAY NG KAPULISAN NATIN… Salamat po…

  13. Saw the video of Leila de Lima’s press conference today with senate reporters whom she was feeding cake and pancit because her birthday is coming up.

    While she was denying Duterte’s latest accusations against her, I was reminded of the time she defied a Supreme Court order and arrested the sick Gloria Arroyo at the airport years ago.

    I remember wondering at that time, what kind of person is capable of doing something like this?

    Even if, granting for the sake of argument, Arroyo was guilty, how can a government official—the Secretary of Justice, no less—flout a Supreme Court order so flagrantly, on live national TV, and not care about the consequences?

    People didn’t know much about De Lima back then, but after all the revelations that have come out about her in the past days, and after hours of psychoanalysis with friends who are equally hooked on this teleserye, here’s our theory on why De Lima is capable of extreme brazen acts.

    We call it the “AIDS” hypothesis. AIDS stands for Ambition, Impunity, Delusion, and Sex.

    (No offense to actual AIDS sufferers. This acronym is purely coincidental.)

    AMBITION
    We’ve seen in the two-day senate hearings that just ended that no one would mistake De Lima for a genius. But she was able to become head of CHR, head of DOJ, and now senator out of sheer ambition and chutzpah. Could it be that it wasn’t even Noynoy Aquino who ordered her to defy the Supreme Court order and arrest Arroyo at the airport? Noynoy seems too weak to be capable of something like that. Could it be that De Lima did it on her own, to make pakitang-gilas to her boss and prove to him that there was no line she wouldn’t cross? And in return for her loyalty, he got her elected senator.

    IMPUNITY
    De Lima seems to sincerely believe she is untouchable and indestructible. No matter what she says and does, even if untrue or illegal, she honestly believes she can’t be held accountable. This might be part of the reason why she was able to rise to the upper echelons of government despite minimal talent. People who are willing to take big risks and make huge gambles often become more successful than talented people who are risk-averse and worry too much about consequences.

    DELUSION
    In the case of Steve Jobs, this was called a reality-distortion field. Jobs’s creativity was due to him not seeing reality for what it is, but for what it could be. In De Lima’s case, her self-image seems to be quite different from how we ordinary folk see her. For example, she has no qualms carrying on like a femme fatale with her driver and the MMDA motorcycle guy despite her advanced age and appearance. She even said in the birthday press con, “I’m about to turn 57, I’m still young.” Clearly she sees herself very differently from how we see her. In her mind, she is a young and desirable vixen.

    BTW, she admitted in the press con that the MMDA motorcycle guy Warren is still part of her security staff.

    SEX
    The Bible says money is the root of all evil. But sex is also another root of evil. Duterte said De Lima’s “urges” caused her to become entangled in the illegal activities of the men she had “sex escapades” with. I feel kind of sorry for her in this aspect. How many times have we seen old, lonely, sex-starved women taken advantage of by devious men who f*ck them for their money, power, connections, etc? Even her sex video might have been recorded by one of the men she got involved with for future leverage against her.

    I wonder why no one from the yellow camp seems to be speaking out to defend De Lima now. She sold her soul to the devil to do their dirty work for them, and now that she’s in a bind, they’re nowhere to be seen.

    De Lima said in her press con that despite all the things happening to her, her spirit can’t be broken. This is the AIDS talking, as explained above. She needs to believe that she can’t be broken, otherwise she won’t be able to go on.

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