On Grace Poe's citizenship: The More Important Question Is...

This recent attack against Grace Poe is legitimate yet downright crass. I don't know who advised UNA interim president Toby Tiangco to just put out that question about Poe's citizenship. That is a technicality that is expected not to impact on the voter's perception on Poe. Besides, this will even create a more emotional bond between Poe and the masses. Tiangco's tirade is outright foolish and definitely something shot out of the hip.

The question about Poe's citizenship is a TECHNICAL question. Are we judging someone's citizenship or the more pertinent question is the sincerity of her actions as a Filipino? One maybe a Filipino-American yet acts like a Caucasian.

And who is a Filipino anyway? In our Constitution, those born here are considered Filipino. Yet there's a catch---those born here of Filipino parents. Surely, Grace Poe is not at all an alien since she looks like an ordinary Filipino.

The more important issue is really about Grace Poe's PURITY OF HEART. What prompted her to run when she herself said last year that she's not interested. What prodded her to stake her name now when she detested this before?

Why are you running when you know for a fact that you are not prepared. Why risk it? Is it because of glamour? Is it because of riches? What?

Have we asked ourselves what's so special about Grace Poe that we need to risk electing a more experienced man to the Highest Post of the Land and risk the very future of this country for the next six years?

Are we that desperate that we so choose such person like Grace Poe who we know deep in our hearts that she's not the best choice--only she reaps praise right now because we are so angry and actually being prodded to anger because of the propaganda levied against another candidate?

It is time for us to wake up. It is time to erase these mythical perceptions about the presidency, that it is destiny, that it is this and that.

We need to come to terms that the Office of the President is the most powerful office in this land and it actually lays the blueprint of where we go from here six years forward.

We don't need a nun or a good natured person as President, oh no. We don't need a brute to lead us.

What is so unfortunate for us in these times is that we are being forced to choose between extremes: A Grace Poe perceived publicly as "kind" and a Rudy Duterte perceived as "strong willed brute." These two are hugging the headlines and rightly so. Their reputations precede them.

The sad fact is that those who truly deserve to be our president are those in the middle and do not enjoy the showbiz-like stature of these two persons.

Ranged against these people, Poe looks very tame and very unqualified while Duterte is fine except of course he shoots himself in the mouth most of the times.

We are forced to choose those popular when election to the Office of the President is simply not a popularity contest. It is becoming so, because of the demands of politics. Financiers need assurance that they can re-coup their political investments. Since politics here is simply unpredictable, these moneyed men rely on surveys which are tools to measure awareness and popularity, not competency. That explains why we always elect populist leaders whose loyalties rest not on the masses but to those too crafty enough to part their monies with the hopes of getting a slice of this country when their bets win.

This explains why we have such people as Grace Poe or Rudy Duterte who land in prominent places in surveys because they are popular but not exactly competent.

Duterte is unfit for the presidency

Rudy Duterte has shown his true colors. This guy is a braggart. He brags about killing people as if he's just killing pests. He just admitted that he's the one behind the controversial Davao Death Squad. In truth, Davaoenos know that he's not the one taking care of this gang, but another petty town mayor of Davao. Yet, he enjoys claiming that he is the one, because that makes him a toughie.

All the more that I'm convinced that this guy is just pretending to be a toughie when in truth and in fact, he just wants to show people that he's somebody to be feared.

Or, maybe, this guy is just trying to appear tough to hide his gay tendencies. Mr. Duterte, do a Bruce Jenner. That would be good for your mental health.

And then when he had already scored media points for his admission, here comes Mr. Duterte belatedly withdrawing his admission all because a lady by the name of Justice secretary Leila de Lima threatened to pursue criminal charges against him.

For years, de Lima has been trying to identify the one behind this death squad which has been known for killing hundreds if not a thousand Filipinos in Davao. These people were already adjudged guilty by DDS and meted with what they think as proper--a death penalty.

Now, because of his kayabangan, Duterte will now find himself in a very serious quandary with De Lima. Well, really I expect this to happen to this guy.

This guy has the tendency of shooting his mouth off, just to impress other people. I'm not at all surprised given that people like this Duterte tries to compensate what they lack in the physical department with strongly expressed words. Someone told me that the good mayor is very small, down there, somewhere.

And kung hindi ba naman sobrang kayabangan, this Duterte wants to run for the presidency knowing full well that he's gonna lose anyway. Why burden us with your despicable self, Mr. Rudy Duterte? Don't anymore confuse the public. Better for you to just plant kamote in one of the rich fields of Davao and forget about gunning for the presidency. You are unfit to become one.

Mr. Duterte, you always shoot your mouth off. You are a brainless buffoon who believes in the Gospel of Violence in the wrong way.

Mr. Duterte, please stop fooling us. You want us to believe that it will be better if we elect you as president because you are reportedly a toughie. A toughie with a political will.

It'll be interesting to see Mr. Duterte crossing swords with the BIG BRATS here in Manila, let's see how tough this Duterte is.

Mr. Duterte, if you're really tough, challenge me anytime and I'll indulge you. Let's see who between the two of us would eventually give up and fear the Face of Mortality.

Baiting Poe and Duterte

My source, a good friend from Cebu, validated what many already know--that former Lakas people allied with former Speaker Joe de Venecia Jr. are the ones behind the Mayor Duterte's campaign. Political operators have asked Cebu-based journalists on what they think about the mayor known for his tough stance against criminality. Or so we are made to believe.

So Lakas people are asking Duterte to throw a monkey wrench in the presidential ring ostensibly to widen the pool of choices. There is a reason for that--widening the pool eliminates or eats up the ratings of the frontrunner in the leaderboard. And the objective is also quite simple---to create a scenario which shows the frontrunner losing public support.

Poe is likewise being asked by several to throw her hat unto the ring ostensibly to destroy Mar's chances of getting full presidential support. The Liberals are planning to go around town to explain to the People why we need Mar as president. Who will they explain and face? Their people. Obviously, not us, ordinary Filipinos. Of course, their own people will even clap their hands when LP fields Mar Roxas. Many goodies, but not to be expected to vote Mar.

Do we need a thug as President? The Duterte Option

Toughie. That's how the people look at Mayor Rudy Duterte of Davao City. Duterte is credited of so many things, including the dreaded Davao death squad which is responsible for a string of deaths and assassinations of known hard-core criminals. Many "like" Duterte whose iron-fist policy has greatly allowed Davao to bounce back from its twin disasters.

Duterte, like former PNP chief Panfilo Lacson, is perceived by many as credible leaders with a lion's share of political will. That they did so during a time of extreme violence and of uncertainty. Their actions were greatly approved by the people because of the impact it caused.

SURVEYS UPON SURVEYS point to one driver of voter's choice--the popular perception of the People needing a disciplinarian as President. Several surveys point to Hence, the appearance of Duterte and former PNP chief Panfilo Lacson.

Question--is the interpretation of such survey data accurate? Is the people asking for a President who will "discipline" them? No. The interpretation is wrong.

And this comes from the misinterpretation of the Tagalog terms "kaayusan".

Many surveys I've read show that most Filipino voters would vote for someone who will be able to bring back peace ("kapayapaan") and order (loosely translated as "Kaayusan").

When we read these terms, immediately comes to mind, someone who would carry a big stick and punishes everyone who commits a wrong.

When a Filipino says "kaayusan", he means " putting things in its proper order." We Filipinos have our ingrained sense of order within us.

And when we mean we need a leader who will promote "kaayusan", we meant somebody who will right the wrongs and put every single thing in its place.

We don't need another dictator to tell us what to do. Sometimes, these leaders who masquerade as "toughies" tend to be "softies", when faced with problems involving their friends.

Duterte is no different. Fact is, those who really know what's happening in Davao, Duterte's cult following among the middle classes is abandoning him, yep, mainly because they already discovered how dirty he is, really.

I salute his daughter for being a true toughie, but I just don't know why I really don't believe that her father is like that.

Besides, the BIG QUESTION is--WILL DUTERTE STAND UP AGAINST THE OTHER TOUGHIES HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES, ESPECIALLY THOSE ONES WHO ARE RICH AND POWERFUL? HOW WILL HE FARE AGAINST BIG OLIGARCHS? OR HOW ABOUT THOSE JUETENG LORDS AND DRUG LORDS?

By the way, it is not true that Davao is DRUG-FREE. This city is one amongst many with a serious problem of drug addiction.