President Rodrigo Duterte flew in last Thursday to Negros Oriental to grieve with the families of the policemen who died or were injured in an ambush by NPA guerrillas two weeks ago. He was greeted with unprecedented attention for any Philippine president. People were screaming like adoring fans, wanting to shake his hands and take selfies with the man who has been in the headlines every single day for the last year.
You may be among his staunch supporters or you may not like the President nor approve of his unusual language, behavior or policies, but you have to admire the guy for the rock-star attention he has been getting wherever he goes.
The President’s approval rating is unprecedented in Philippine history. If elections were held today, Duterte would definitely get more votes than the plurality he got last year. People don’t mind his unpresidential language. People don’t mind his extramarital affair. People don’t mind that our national debt will also be as unprecedented as his approval rating. He is an enigma.
To his dedicated followers, he is God. Well, almost. And this is bad for those who oppose him. This is bad for the communist party and the New People’s Army.
Politically speaking, the communists have become irrelevant. If 85 percent of the Filipinos approve of the President, they will not have time for some ideology that promises to bring change from the barrel of a gun. People believe that change is possible under a Duterte administration and not through an armed struggle.
That should be reason enough for the communists to take a serious look at what they believe in. It could be time for them to lay down their arms and take the path of peace.
Enough said.
