Duterte's Revolution

For a revolution to succeed in the Philippines, there are three requisites: first, change the mindsets of the Filipino people. Second, totally change the way the bureaucracy is being run and third, unify the country thru an ideology.

On the first, many are questioning the way Mr. Duterte is doing things. Most think he is going overboard. I don't think so.

Duterte, as what he promised to us during the elections, is getting his hands dirty trying to push for substantial change in our society. He is actually creating the necessary conditions for a revolution. As I said a long time ago, Duterte is like a square peg in a hole. His prescriptions would only be achieved in a different socio-economic-political setting. The enemy, which is the oligarchical class, is strong. Even the Office of the President, under a Republican setting, is not strong enough to destroy them. You need to create a new state out of the old.

For Duterte to achieve just that, he needs the people behind him. For the people to rally behind him, Duterte needs them to open their political consciousness. They need to accept new concepts, new ideas, not just on the way things are run but also social concepts, most importantly.

What Duterte is doing is opening the consciousness of the Filipino people, making them independent thinkers. Why would you challenge the US, even the United Nations? Duterte is not as foolish or reckless as one thinks. He is deliberate. Duterte wants to impress upon us that we are independent, that we know what we are doing as a people, and no one has the right to dictate upon us.

Why do we question what Duterte is doing? For about a century, we always try to wrest ourselves away from the impression that we are not independent, that we are a semi-colony, that our policies are being dictated by foreign powers with geopolitical interests. And now we have a President who has the temerity to stand before these powers and declare our stand in support or against any issue, we criticize and say that he's going overboard?

For this revolution to succeed, we, the Filipino People, must need to change how we view things. We need to liberate our consciousness from the shackles of imperialism.

Second, I laud Duterte for firing all presidential appointees, probably including his. There are many well-meaning people out there who are just waiting to be asked to serve the people.

These people whom he appointed especially those throwbacks from the Arroyo administration have graft cases against them, and most were involved in the nine-year graft-filled term of Mrs. Arroyo. Why rehabilitate them politically by giving them positions of power? Mga gago ang mga ito, mga taong walang pahalaga sa kapwa Pilipino, why appoint them?

Duterte must slay the monster of graft and corruption by killing these people politically. These people had their opportunity, but they failed, and even enriched themselves in power.

I just renewed my passport and I laud the DFA for the speedy service. I will ask my friends if they experienced the same sterling service in other agencies.

Lastly, we can't move forward if there is no dominant conceptual framework. Duterte needs to recognize that he just need to function or act as the poster boy of this ideology but this ideology must be rooted from a correct historical materialist standpoint to be able to provide the right socio-economic and political prescription.