The FBI and
Rodrigo Duterte: Scum of Society
Presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte, upon
attaining a victory over his rival candidates for the presidency, has proposed
a number of what could be considered ‘drastic changes’ within Philippine
policies and mandates. Other than returning the death penalty as a means of
‘obliterating/eliminating/reducing’ crime, he has forwarded other propositions
which are intended to ‘regulate’ the society; or more appropriately “set it
straight”. Some factions contradict his ideals, however. These are the people
who do not like the incoming president; or simply those who do not like being
told what to do, even if it is for the collective good. And that includes them;
but they don’t realize it.
This article is intended to focus on the
latter classification of individuals. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines and the Human Rights Commission can make their own essays about why
they think Duterte is a jerk. Mine is centered on the hateful “fart-brained
idiots” (FBI) in society; as a former schoolmate termed them.
Let me
begin with a narrative:
I was born in 1971; and throughout the
Martial Law period, I had no idea what on earth was going on around me. (Only
Jesus Christ or Tony Stark can be gifted enough to understand such things before
they could learned to walk and talk; so excuse my ignorance). In the ensuing
years after I graduated from college, I remained under my father’s roof and was
the only person tolerant enough to hear the idealistic views of a self-proclaimed
philosopher. When my father described the early 1970’s, he left out the ugly
aspects of Martial Law and shared the more favorable ones. If the post-Marcos
administrations only revealed the bad side of this issue; it was only fair to
hear about ‘another’ side of it. I like Phil Collins, so I decided to hear
‘Both Sides of the Story’. *
My dad spoke of instilled public
discipline. The people were ‘set straight’ out of fear of the law. The number
of rapists, thieves, murderers, drug pushers, etc had diminished on a dramatic
scale because they were afraid of having to undergo the harsh and violent treatment
of law enforcers. Not only minors, according to him, were apprehended during
curfew hours; but even those of legal age. They were made to spend the evening
in jail and ordered to perform community services. And capital punishment; WOW!
But that is too much for minor offenses,
i.e. disturbing the peace and creating disorder; so I’ll leave that out and go
to the ‘lesser’ scum of society.
While reading posts on my Facebook
timeline, I came across a couple of issues related to this topic. First were
the sentiments of a fellow FB-user about how Rodrigo Duterte’s policies should
have an effect on owners of vehicles, who use ‘noise-making’ mufflers. As every
sane individual knows, the meaning of ‘muffle’ is to lessen or diminish sound;
not enhance it. It truly is annoying when private vehicles in residential areas
are made to sound like the Ghost Rider’s motorcycle or a formula one race car;
which they are not. Here is one specific
example:
Occasionally, the sound of what seems to be
a Ducati heavy motorcyle will emanate from outside the entrance of the
apartment building I live in. When tenants on the upper floors look down to
find out what exactly is causing their annoyance, they would find a vain neighborhood
fool revving his puny Honda Veet; a raucous muffler attached to the exhaust
pipe.
The second issue was actually a shared link
centered on Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘three-child’ policy that suggests Filipinos to
have only three children per family. My friend’s post read more like a
challenge for the government to implement this upon what I deduced as ‘the
lower classes’ of society. It read thus:
“Go tell that to
the people occupying land that they don’t own; parks their jeep or whatever
public utility vehicle on the road and sing out of tune till early morning. Oh
yeah and lazy to get to work and starts drinking at 3PM.”
To avoid being taken as prejudiced, as well
as the criticism of sanctimonious readers, I will make two classifications of
the impoverished members of society: the poor people and the f__king poor
people. When people are not privileged enough to live in high-society places
like Wac-Wac, Forbes Park, or Das Mariñas Village, most likely they will be
residing among these two classifications.
How are they different?
Simple: the f__king poor people will engage
in boisterous and unruly activities; inconsiderate of the rights of their
neighbors; and ready to give the finger to anyone who requests moderation of
them. I should know. I lived in Novaliches for thirty-three years; and in Biñan
as of the present.
During the campaign period for the recent
2016 elections, my rowdy neighbors would turn on their videokes at 6:30 PM and
carry on until 2:30 AM. Their children would get first shot at the microphone;
the latter chanting the word ‘Duterte’ repeatedly like some religious charismatic
hymn. Nobody will even think of going to the ‘barangay’ hall and report such behavior.
Because the employees assigned there are no different from the individuals in
question. Now that the incoming president proposed a ban on videoke machines; I
wonder if they will still have the same enthusiasm for him. The PARENTS, I
mean. Only they can brainwash their young.
My
father was criticized by many as a ‘supercillious fascist authoritarian
communist’. That is why I don’t instantaneously concur with his enthusiastic appraisals
of Ferdinand Marcos’ accomplishments. To add: when rival polticians claimed
that Rodrigo Duterte was a “dangerous” individual likely to emulate Marcos’
oppressive and tyrannical ways; I was filled with contempt for the man. Frankly,
I don’t think the world -even a small one- of the Davao City mayor. He is still
a suspiciously radical fellow by my estimation. But when I take my father’s
statements into consideration (hopefully he was telling the exact truth), as
well as the chance that my neighbors will metamorphose into decent human beings;
Rody isn’t so bad after all.
Here’s hoping he succeeds with the FBI.
Epilogue: WAM!-wait a minute. Did he say ‘no
demolishings and no relocations’? WTF!
___________
*Phil Collins, ‘Both
Sides of the Story’, ‘Both Sides’ album, Atlantic Records, 1993
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