Sept. 21 is our day of infamy. And never have I witnessed the true nature of the Duterte political movement than on the celebration of the anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law.
I am just amazed at the number of “fake news” outlets the Duterte movement of supporters actually has.
Even more amazing is the number of my Facebook friends — normally kind and decent people — who are just lapping them up.
I am still trying to understand why, especially when:
The Duterte movement routinely manipulates people through lies and deceit. It does not have the patience and honesty for critical thinking.
In fact, it relies on the ignorance and laziness with which many Filipinos conduct their intellectual lives. Hence, fake news via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube abound, as social media favors the sort of blitz-posting that requires neither evidence nor logic to look authoritative.
This should come as no surprise as even the President himself has engaged, and even gloated in, the peddling and outright malicious force-feeding of “alternative facts” down our proverbial throats.
The Duterte movement’s first instinct and response to criticism is raping the dignity out of their opponent. Few things have I observed with more hatred and vileness of heart than when Duterte supporters vomit the most unwarranted, unfair, and unrepeatable insults against political opponents. They tap into the lowest and most abusive demons within the human person, marshaling them into political rhetorics.
And when an entire political movement is known to freely and recklessly mock, ridicule, intimidate, bully, and shame those who are legally exercising their civil and political human rights, how else can the movement be fairly construed but as an oppressive, indeed abusive, regime?
The Duterte movement sees corruption everywhere, except within. Insane people never say they are insane and mean it. Just as evil people never know that they are evil.
I am always amused at how Duterte supporters are quick to demand justice for the Maguindanao, Mamasapano, Hacienda Luisita, and Mendiola massacres (totaling about 100 deaths) on one hand, and yet remain mum about justice for the 1800+ deaths (and still counting) in Duterte’s war on drugs.
I guess hypocrisy wouldn’t be hypocrisy if they could see the plank on their own eye.
I say these things not because I belong to an opposing political party or movement. In the previous election, I supported independent Grace Poe for President. So I am not yellow, even as there is nothing wrong in being one. If it was Mar Roxas or Grace Poe who won, I would put them, their supporters, and myself under the same scrutiny.
The Duterte movement is emboldened, and its consciences dulled, by the apparent popularity of its President. It hides its massive insecurity by big enough numbers at the polls.
But polls aren’t God. Morals matter, even when (rather, especially when) they are denied by the majority.
The Nazi Holocaust, for example, remains morally-wrong despite the popular support it held with the German people at the time of World War II.
And as long as the President refuses to disavow any of these would-be oppressors, and in fact, rewards many of them with high government positions, it is neither inaccurate nor unfair to call it the Duterte movement.
The middle ground no longer exists. You cannot declare yourself a supporter of Duterte without being obliged to support all that he stands for and tolerates, including extrajudicial killings, historical revisionism, constitutional hostility, reckless violence, and arbitrary (in)justice.
These things are not fringe interests — these evils comprise the defining core of this Administration.
We have great cause to fear. And also to resist.
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Author’s email: [email protected]