TAGALOGS have a term for approaching or solving a problem:santong dasalan or the soft, diplomatic way (dasal meaning prayer) and santong paspasan or the direct, tough way.
We now know what approach President Rodrigo Duterte prefers. But wasn’t that why he was voted into office by a citizenry that had gotten exasperated with the way the administration of President Benigno Aquino III handled problems of governance?
According to critics, the way Aquino and his government tackled problems (or even opportunities) ranged from passive-tentative to outright incompetent. They even coined a pejorative based on his nickname, Noynoying, which was supposed to mean taking it easy or not feeling a sense of urgency.
Well, Duterte’s supporters have gotten what they wished for. He has acted promptly, directly and harshly in his anti-drug campaign, and this tough style of governance has extended to other aspects of his administration.
In only his first year in office, his war on drugs has been bloody. Media and assorted kibitzers, as well as the PNP, have estimated the deaths to be in the thousands. Duterte has certainly served notice that he meant it when he vowed that bodies would fill up Manila Bay.
Duterte has also fired a cabinet secretary and lower level officials for a variety of reported transgressions, thereby serving notice to those afflicted with the easy-going bureaucratic habit that their noynoying days are over.
Duterte’s style—reminiscent of the movie character, Dirty Harry—has also called to mind another Tagalog phrase, Sala sa init, sala sa lamig, which means going to extremes (too hot or too cold) and not striking an ideal balance.
The international notoriety that Duterte has gained because of his anti-drug war is not without basis. His bullheadedness is also turning off leaders of foreign countries whose help the Philippines needs. His defiant declaration that he would rather starve than ask for help from those who frown on his bloodbath is pure bluster. In the first place, Duterte and his family will never starve, but there are millions of poor Pinoys who could.
And yet, we should not be too hasty in condemning his declaration of martial law to address the crisis in Marawi. It was a crisis that he, as a leader, had to confront and he had to make a prompt decision. Santong paspasan.
On the other hand, while objective observers appreciate the tough approach that he has taken, they are concerned that extending martial law across the whole of Mindanao is an extreme and unnecessary move.
Worse yet, they worry that members of the military, who are carrying out the presidential fiat, will abuse their power and authority. The concerns are not without basis.
Shortly after President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, euphoria accompanied the move. Gun-toting Manilans, forced to leave their weapons at home, became uncharacteristically good-natured towards their fellowmen.
But the euphoria did not last long. Word eventually came out that perceived enemies of the Marcos government – mainly from media and the political opposition – had been rounded up and thrown behind bars without charges. Then followed reports of disappearances of student and rural activists, as well as the takeover by cronies of businesses and property owned by hapless victims.
The joke at the time was that the Marcoses were in the mining business, as in, “That’s mine, that’s mine, this is mine and those are mine.”
That experience has been replicated, as a result of Duterte’s war on drugs. With the commander-in-chief urging the troops to go for the kill, much like a warlord whipping his men into a murderous frenzy, some members of the PNP have tended to take no prisoners and to act as judge and executioner in dealing with suspects. Worse yet, innocent lives have been wasted, including young children, and dismissed as “collateral damage.”
More bad news: critics doubt that the bigtime drug lords have stopped their lucrative operations, pointing out that the fatalities have been mostly slipper-shod residents of squatters’ areas.
But what is most disturbing is that certain elements of the PNP have seen an opportunity to make a profit from Duterte’s kill orders, epitomized by the kidnap-killing of a Korean businessman, right within the grounds of PNP headquarters.
However, whatever the critics, the political opposition and the human rights activists say, the country is facing a serious problem, not just in Marawi but in Mindanao. As I write this, CNN has just reported that “ISIS has planted its flag in the Philippines.”
The report stated that the presence of ISIS in Marawi is “the first outside the Middle East.” Whether accurate or not (it is said that ISIS has been recruiting and indoctrinating disgruntled Mindanaoans for some years now), that news which was broadcast worldwide will have an impact on tourism and the economy. It will also attract adventurers, mercenaries and ideologues to the new battleground in Mindanao.
Clearly, the Marawi crisis is not the time for noynoying or halfway measures. To say that Duterte’s move should have been limited to Marawi may be naïve. Would these critics prefer to fight the ISIS cancer when it has already metastasized across Mindanao?
And those who think that the cancer will be limited to Mindanao and will not spread across the country, particularly Metro Manila, may be equally naïve.
Indeed, it is so easy to be a kibitzer and to point out all the bad things that can result from the declaration of martial law, especially when one does not have access to in-depth information on the seriousness of the threat.
On the other hand, a citizenry that has already had a painful experience with the suspension of civil liberties cannot be blamed for being skeptical. Like the cat who sat on a hot stove, avoiding even an unlighted stove, it is understandable when people declare, “Never again!” about martial law.
This is where our national leaders, whatever their political stripes may be, should close ranks for the sake of the country. They should rally behind the president, giving him the benefit of the doubt as the commander-in-chief and the person who must carry the burden of leadership.
These national leaders should consider it a solemn responsibility to contribute their wisdom to help ensure that the powers unleashed by martial law are not abused, while the terrorist threat is effectively turned back.
Frankly, it pains me to read the statements on social media posted by those for and those against the actions being taken by the president and the military. It’s bad enough that our people are being menaced by terrorist quarters, it’s unfortunate that the same people are at each other’s throat.
While watching former President Fidel V. Ramos criticize the man whose shoes he used to fit into, I could not help wondering if it had occurred to Ramos to give Duterte a call to offer his help.
I am reminded of that classic typing test on my trusty Underwood: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
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