Sincerity or Sarcasm

I heard this last week. I thought to myself, why does the President seem to be burning with anger against the Vice President about the drugs problem? I thought everyone has gone tired talking about that. People have turned to talking about the traumatic traffic in Metro Manila and those annoyingly amusing Barretto sisters. So, why was the Chief Executive so upset about VP Leni and the anti-drugs issue? (Well, if you just take the words, there isn’t really revolting about the President offering his Vice President a six-month test drive on solving the national illicit drugs problem. But come on, I can smell the sarcasm and shrewdness a mile away.) I just thought that he should have reacted this way back when Kian Lloyd de los Santos was killed by police. (See, I bet it took you some time to recall who he was. If you really don’t remember, go google the name. Don’t worry, even I got the name mixed up and had to look it up for verification.) So, more or less a week ago, I thought that the President was just throwing his usual antics. You know, the unkempt necktie, the motorcycle accident, the lengthy speeches. So, I felt, why bother, let’s enjoy the long All Saint’s Day weekend (No, it’s not Halloween. We’re Filipinos, not Americans.)

Then, this news breaks out last Tuesday. After some surfing, it turns out that Vice President Robredo gave “critical remarks during an interview with Reuters, and in subsequent media appearances”. “Robredo said many people have been killed, with no evidence of a decline in drug supply”. (gulfnews.com ) Oh, okay; and this just happened recently; and this reportedly angered the main man in Malacañang; prompting him to offer the VP a dip in the drive against drugs. We have to admit, that was really unprecedented from the President. We had that snippet of her interviews with the media which are attributed to have ignited these chain of events. Let’s just examine it a bit. Is not that a simple statement of truth? Is it not true that many people have been killed in the drug war? (Well, I guess, depending on whom one talks to, the victims’ status may be debatable.) So, that one could be open for argument. Is it not true that there seems to be no evidence of decline in drug supply? I don’t have statistics; but just watch the news. Drugs is all over the place, just like the pre-Duterte presidency. Nothing significantly obvious has changed. Sure, there were reports of surrenders, arrests and drug pushers and users laying low in the beginning of the President’s term, but after some time, it seemed that they were able to get out of their hiding holes and revived some semblance of normalcy in their operations. Police even had a big bust at a bar along Magsaysay. Yes, the drug sale and spread were stopped and that is good; but if the Duterte presidency and anti-drug war really sowed fear in the hearts of criminals involved in illegal drugs, that guy would not have had that big shipment delivered in the first place. After all, it’s the Duterte era. They should have better lain low, and gone back when this era is over. But no, they’re all around and all over the place. News have been filled with reports of drug related incidents. There had even been drug related heinous crimes. There were some arrests at the onset of the Duterte term; but little has changed. Yes, the administration can blame human rights activists or detractors, but fact remains, little has changed; not to mention that the original promise was the solution of the drugs problem after six months. (Alright now, I can feel DDS dirty looks being cast down on me.) Then, the President (according to reports) gets angry because of a verifiably true statement. Should he not have taken the statements with a grain of salt, or with some personal reflection. Anyway, should he not have become accustomed to those sort of opinions by this time of his presidency? (Now, how’s that for some intellectually impaired idealism?)

Maybe I’m not the only one. Furthermore, according to reports, “Duterte’s spokesman said the decision to make Robredo a co-chair of an inter-agency committee against narcotics was genuine and not a cynical move to discredit her.” (gulfnews.com ) (Really? Am I supposed to laugh at the joke? Or are we supposed to be annoyed to this blatant insult to intelligence?)

Well, let’s see and hope that some good comes out of this.

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” 1 Peter 2:1