Much criticism has been made against Duterte and his methods. Predictably, the cry of "Human rights!" is used by his opponents as well as the tiresome phrase of "due process". These criticisms aren't enough. If you really want to get at the President, you have to do something radical.
Allow me to explain how the present criticisms of Duterte simply won't work and how one can really make a dent on the Duterte machine.
Let us begin with the status quo or rather, what was once the status quo. The Philippines was at best, stagnant and at worst, a car careening downhill with no brakes. The situation had become insufferable. The presidential candidates last election season, before Duterte entered the scene and mowed over them like an eighteen-wheeler, either offered more of the same crap or "change" that amounted to little toppings on a pile of cow dung. This wasn't good enough. People wanted real change; preferably of the drastic kind. Along comes a man from Davao making outlandish promises like solving crime in six months or less. The people picked Duterte because he was so unlike the others and promised to take the country to a radical direction. At that point, it didn't matter what he said but only that he was going to do something extreme. It's like that scenario where you're stuck in a really terrible place and you scream, "Anywhere but here!" The people at that point were desperate for Duterte to just take them somewhere else - anywhere but the quagmire of Pnoy's do-nothing, let-it-burn presidency.
Now this is key. The critics today fail to understand the circumstances that fueled El Jefe's rise to power. It's not enough to criticize Duterte's methods. One must also provide a vision and solution that's better than what Duterte is selling. People chose Duterte because they thought he could fix the country's problems. If you criticize Duterte but don't also step up and offer your own fixes, people won't give you the time of day.
Let me put it this way: there is a big bad problem. That's the given. Duterte comes in and offers his solution. It's not the best solution. It's not an elegant solution. It's messy and it's a slow poison to our civil society in the grand scheme of things but it's a solution. Everybody criticizes Duterte's solution but nobody offers alternatives. Duterte wins by default.
Duterte's critics lose because people want solutions and they have none. It's especially worse for critics who were toadies for the previous administration. They can't even accept the "given" in the equation. To them, the Philippines was just fine and Duterte is ruining all the imaginary gains we made. No, the Philippines wasn't "just fine". Step one is admitting there's a problem. If you don't even admit that there's a problem, you're at less than square one. Stop fighting for the status quo. Admit the situation sucks and outdo Duterte in offering actual solutions. That's the only way you can beat him.
Everyone is sick of the same old crap and wants to move forward. Duterte is the only one who has the momentum. Notice how he controls the narrative, how he's basically setting the terms for the national conversation everytime he deigns to give the media his attention. He has framed himself as one who looks to the future. Burying Marcos? It's more symbolic than anything. Duterte is framing himself as one making actual progress. A serious critic must not allow him to do this. One must SEIZE the momentum; take the initiative from the President. The President is selling radical change and it's selling well. A competitor must also offer radical change but one that's even better. A serious critic must not allow the President to have the monopoly. Ah, but that would require a certain boldness and a willingness to swallow one's pride and admit that the past was a failure. How some people cling to the past...
Anyway, I really should write about things other than politics.
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