From two years of experience, i.e., actually living in this country, suffering in real time the daily bombardment of anti-people rhetoric, the large-scale violence that is happening on our streets and in the countryside, the heavy burden of inflation and price hikes, the general exhaustion of having to deal with an incompetent unkind leadership, one already has a sense of how Rodrigo Duterte and his people operate. It is in fact a by-the-textbook populist strategy, one that they’ve been using since the campaign, one that they have continued to use with much success — he’s still President after all — the past two years. We’ve thought this government out-of-control, we’ve thought the communications team stupid and idiotic, we’ve called the President bastos and misogynist — but all of that is part of the plan, it is all chaos-by-design.
The announcement that the President will be speaking to the nation today, September 11, is no different. And because we’ve been here all this time, and we’ve heard Duterte doing his slurred, confused speeches too many times the past two years, we can already imagine what it is he’s going to say. Because unsurprisingly, he is redundant, and repetitive, and goes around in circles like a crazy person. And the only way we can continue to be productive and not get caught up in the shock of hearing him saying something offensive (because he will) and oppressive (because he will), is to already prepare ourselves for the worst. And with Duterte, everything IS already at its worst.
- There’s an ouster plot against me, and they have been destabilizing my government since Day 1. Pick from:
(a) The Liberal Party, aka Dilawan. Loida Nicolas may or may not be mentioned. Leni Robredo may or may not be mentioned.
(b) The communists, which to Duterte is infiltrating every organization, sector, region including the military, the indigenous peoples, and Mindanao. He will also say that all of us who go out to the streets to rally are being controlled by “the Left.”
(c) Trillanes, De Lima, Sereno, <insert other enemies he has conjured up in his mind here>.
(d) Media: Rappler, ABS-CBN.
(e) The CIA.
(f) All of the above.
2. I will prove it to you: here, look at this intelligence report. Proceeds to show us a:
(a) handwritten diagram of names of personalities connected to each other.
(b) computer generated diagram using Word Art to connect names of personalities to each other.
(c) a list of names of people and organizations purportedly out to oust him, as gathered from the PNP dropboxes all over the metro.
(d) none of the above: we just have to believe him as Mocha, Roque, etal always do, because he tells the whole truth and nothing but.
3. Tinitira nila ako sa corruption, pero I hate corruption! And I’ve fired many people including military officials, which is why they are angry with me. Kaya ‘yung ungol ng coup d’etat, diyan manggagaling. Pero kung military junta, kausapin niyo lang ako, and I will step down peacefully. Hindi ko man kailangan ang puwesto na ito. Uwi na lang ako sa Davao.
4. Tapos gagamitin nila itong mga tao ko. Alam niyo, ‘yang conflict of interest kina Calida at Bong Go … bakit bawalan natin ang pamilya nila na kumita ng pera? Just because they’re in government, it doesn’t mean their family businesses have to become poor. Atchaka ‘yan si Bong, milyonaryo yan, his family owns the biggest printing press in Davao. Hindi man niya kailangan ng pera.
5. Tapos ngayon ginagamit nila sa pulitika ang inflation. Eh Inflation is normal. Ang hindi normal is to politicize it. They are using it to criticize my government. Eh hindi ko man ‘yan kasalanan. My economic managers are the best and the brightest! Sabi nila kahit hindi nag-TRAIN, tataas naman talaga ang presyo. Sabi nila dahil ‘yan sa global price of oil. Tapos Amerika talaga ‘yan, tinaasan nila ang mga presyo. Kaya wala tayong magagawa diyan.
6. Kaya galit ako sa Amerika. Kami ni Trump okay kami. Pero ‘yung iba do’n, now this human rights: I never said to kill ANYBODY. Ang sabi ko lang if you ruin my nation, I will kill you! Hindi man iligal ‘yon. Show me a law that declares that that is illegal! Show me the 10th person I killed, the 100th person I killed. Where were they killed, what time, what are their names? Wala man kayong mapakita. Gago talaga ‘yan mga human rights na ‘yan. Human rights has been destabilizing my government since the start.
7. Tapos ngayon hinaharang nila federalism, pero pinangako ko ‘yan. Kaya ako nanalo dahil diyan pati sa droga. Sinasabi ko sa inyo pangako ko ‘yan, at tutuparin ko ‘yan. ‘Yung revgov revgov, dapat puwede ‘yan dahil ginawa ‘yan ni Cory, but I will not be staying longer than my term, I can step down now once federalism is passed. But Leni, she cannot handle the presidency. She is weak. Hindi niya kayanin. Kung sa akin nga may coup, sa kanya pa kaya. Ang Pilipino kailangan strong leadership. That is not Leni. She cannot.
8. Sabihin naman ng mga babae misogyny ako. Hindi ‘yan totoo. Nag-sakripisyo ako para sa mga babae. Nagpa-hostage ako para sa mga babae. Pero si Leni, wala talaga ‘yan.
9. Ngayon kung ayaw niyo. Ayaw niyo ng federal. Ayaw niyo ng pagtigil ng corruption. Ayaw niyo ng pagbabago. Eh sabay-sabay tayo lumubog kasama ang Pilipinas. Wala na ‘ko magagawa. Binoto ninyo ako tapos ayaw niyo naman ang ginagawa ko. Ayoko talaga ng rev gov pero you know, do not force my hand. At bakit kapag si Cory puwede mag-rev-gov, kapag iba hindi? Do not force my hand. Kasi sinasabi ko sa inyo … ako talaga … tang*na … pag ako pinersonal ninyo …
10. Hindi ako duwag. Wala akong takot. Matanda na ‘ko, I can go anytime. Pero you, you who are making it worse for my country, you ruin my country and I will kill you. Mahal ko ang Pilipinas kaya ganyan ako magsalita. Wala man kayong maipakitang tao na pinatay ko. Ganyan lang ako magsalita dahil it’s my culture, Bisaya ako eh, ganyan talaga kami mag-salita. But I’m serious, I will kill you. ***