Duterte backs out of media fight--exposes his rear and how he confronts crises

President-elect Rody Duterte must have realized that he has been an ass-hole lately, that explains why his assistant, Bong Co, told media that there have decided not to conduct press cons anymore and just send to official government media outlets their statements.

That's disappointing. One, this is just the start of a very interesting thing and here you are, the highest local executive of the land, backing out of a discussion (not a fight).

Duterte must have been advised not to worsen his relations with the media. This backing out, however, bodes ill to the incoming head of state.

This shows that Duterte has a tendency to flip-flop, has no clear thoughts on how to manage things and shows him as pliant. This is not good.

How will he then conduct himself before tougher opponents? Will he also back out? What if Duterte encounters a big vice lord with one of his financiers as back-up? Or what if one of his cabinet members is caught with his hands in the cookie jar? Will he then solve it thru the easiest route--kill or will he then think of more innovative ways of resolving the crisis?

That explains why, for want of a better alternative or because he probably thinks it is harder to think of the best way of doing things, Duterte resorts to the easiest way of solving things---just kill the sonafabitch.

You have everything at your disposal, and the only way your advisers think is disengage? That is not good.

Mr. Duterte, you better fire your media handlers and advisers pronto, because the only way they can think of is showing your weak side, instead of giving you the dignity of getting out of the fire without a single strand of your hair singed.

This early, Duterte and his men are showing signs of weakness and of implosion. If they cannot handle even the easiest of tasks--communication--- what more of serious governance?

This is a very serious problem, not just of Duterte, but of everybody.

ON the other hand, this is expected of a person like Duterte, who is an active man, par excellence.

For men like him, who is accustomed of the easy-going life, who has never been opposed even by his mother, such a problem requires a simple solution---kill, kill, kill!