Is Duterte Throwing Away Mindlessly His Public Goodwill
With the after glow of his victory, the president-elect seems to have started on the wrong foot by stepping on the toes of those who ought to be on his side.
Media that always enjoy tender loving care from public institutions aware of its role in shaping public opinion received an unexpected left hook from Digong. Asked what measure he will adapt on media killing, he unintentionally declares an open season on journalists justifying they can be killed under certain circumstances.
He again raised the ire of feminists who earlier were greatly offended by his remarks that “he should have been first” on the rape of the murdered Australian nun by his catcall on a woman TV journalist. Instead of responding to her question, he wolf whistled eliciting laughter at the nationally covered press conference.
He again started to pick a quarrel with the Catholic hierarchy digging up the old issue on bishops receiving expensive cars from politicians and sarcastically inviting parishioners to join his “Iglesias ni Duterte.” He arouse the ire of thousands who were imprisoned and tortured during Marcos law by allowing his burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Clothed with the support of 16 million voters that catapulted him to the presidency, Duterte has broken all the accepted principles and practices in public relations. In corporate practice, the chief executive is shielded from backlash on sensitive issues by a spokesman who can only be effective if he enjoys the ear of the president.
He has taken for granted a significant segments represented by the church, victims of martial law, the feminist movement, the media, and even foreign countries who have expectations opposite his loyalists that guffaw at his banal jokes. The prevailing perception of a president has been shaped by the personality of those who preceded him. To a certain extent, he will be given cultural latitude with the societal forces that influenced his action and practices. Probably all will be forgiven if he lives up to the promise that parents no longer worry about losing their children to drugs or being shot at by killers riding in tandem.