26 minute read
STANdPOINT: Ms. Rey Valmores-Salinas and the rainbow flag of the mass movement
Rey Valmores-Salinas is the National Spokesperson of Bahaghari, a National Democratic Alliance of Militant and anti-imperialist mass organizations, communities, and unions of the LGBTQ+ in the Philippines. The organization took inspiration from the murder of Jennifer Laude, a transwoman who was killed by a US marine. The socio-political situation provoked the activists' desire to fight against transphobia, homophobia, and imperialism.
Aside from being a full-time LGBTQIA+ activist, Ms. Rey graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of the Philippines Diliman and is currently working in the Ateneo School of medicine and public health, wherein she is the youngest member of the team. She is a transwoman and a full-time political organizer who continue to fight for women and LGBTQIA+ rights. Ms. Rey is part of the PRIDE 20 who were illegally arrested during their march for Pride month and Anti-Terrorism Bill.
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1. What made you choose this path of representing the LGBtQ+ community and fighting for your rights and freedom?
As a transgender woman, I understand that my very existence is political. Growing up, I experienced persistent bullying and alienation at school from peers and severe physical and emotional violence at home from my family. It was when I joined Bahaghari that I dared to fight so that no other queer child would have to go through the things I did and to help build a world where everyone’s potential is fully and entirely realized— regardless of gender.
2. How important is it to have a national democratic LGBtQIA+ Organization? How is it different from other LGBtQIA+ organizations?
National democratic organizations, at the fundamental level, seek to address the 3 root problems in Philippine society, namely: (1) feudalism; (2) bureaucrat-capitalism; and (3) imperialism. What is unique about Bahaghari is that our analysis of the LGBTQ+ struggle always takes these, and the rest of the material conditions of the Philippines, into account. What exactly are these 3 problems, and why are they related to our struggle as LGBTQ+?
Feudalism, a system where there is a ruling minority of lords, and a vast majority of oppressed serfs, is deeply reminiscent of what we see in the countryside, except in the Philippines, we have hacienderos and peasants. It is also in a feudal system where patriarchy is ingrained, a backward culture that has concrete consequences of not only the erasure of our diverse identities as LGBTQ+ in lieu of a strict gender binary but also of institutionalized violence that kills the LGBTQ+ every day.
Bureaucrat-capitalism is essentially turning politics into business. Everything is privatized: from healthcare to education, to basic utilities. Why is this relevant for the LGBTQ+? Because a concrete consequence of this is how legislators railroad policies that ensure their pockets get filled, and completely deprioritize laws such as the SOGIE Equality Bill, which they completely disregard and tag as irrelevant or even heinous (which goes back to the patriarchal and exclusionary culture borne out of feudalism as well).
Imperialism is the final stage of capitalism, in which superpower nations begin to intervene with other, smaller countries politically, economically, culturally, and militarily. Imperialism is why the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States was created, and why consequently, hundreds of US soldiers are still on Philippine soil. Joseph Scott Pemberton was simply one of the many US marines docked in the Philippines. He murdered our trans woman sister Jennifer Laude and invoked the VFA to muscle himself into a protected facility at Camp Aguinaldo where only Americans and select Philippine officials may enter. Ultimately, he was granted absolute pardon by President Duterte, who saw to it to kneel to US interests and set Pemberton free.
LGBTQ+ organizations must espouse a political line that encompasses these 3 root problems if we are to create meaningful liberation for all members of the LGBTQ+. Furthermore, it is also necessary for the LGBTQ+ to assert and embed ourselves in the mass movement; who else would stand for a culture that truly accepts and values the diversity of humanity's sexual orientations, gender identities, expressions, and sexual characteristics, but the LGBTQ+? In other words, we have a critical role in the cultural revolution.
3. What particular missteps of the LGBtQIA+ members do you find most problematic? How should we correct it?
The most immediate misstep that comes to mind is the reduction of our community’s problems to identity politics. It is not enough that we have LGBTQ+ persons in positions of power; we must liberate every single member of the LGBTQ+, from all walks of life. This includes farmers, workers, national minorities, and all other oppressed sectors in which we can find members of our community.
Another, related issue is sectoralism. It is restricting one’s activism to the sector one belongs to. While it is critical that we address discrimination and all other LGBTQ+-specific issues, it is also important for us to recognize that we do not possess a rainbow shield that renders us immune from all other struggles faced by the rest of society. The LGBTQ+ also go hungry from food insecurity. The LGBTQ+ also suffer from the lack of mass testing, contact tracing, and isolation, which has dragged out the COVID-19 pandemic for so long in the country. The LGBTQ+ also fall prey to state fascism, to the longest and harshest military lockdown of the world, and to the de facto Martial Law imposed by Duterte’s administration today.
4. What is the current situation of the LGBtQIA+ community under the Duterte Administration?
At the very beginning, Duterte has expressed support for Anti-Discrimination legislation, and yet even 4 years into his regime, we have seen no real progress for the SOGIE Equality Bill. Filipinos, including the LGBTQ+, have sunk deeper and deeper into poverty. In fact, during the lockdown where about 45% of the workforce is now unemployed, many of those hit the hardest are the LGBTQ+, from LGBTQ+ workers in the BPO industry and more who experienced mass layoffs, LGBTQ+ parlorists who are either unemployed or underemployed, even our drag queens who have lost a massive chunk of their spaces for performance.
In the early stages of Duterte’s regime, among the victims of the War on Drugs are members of the LGBTQ+. This continues into Duterte’s imposition of Executive Order 70, which has led to the state-sponsored killing of Ryan Hubilla, a 22-year-old LGBTQ+ activist and high school student in Sorsogon. In the advent of COVID-19, where Duterte eagerly pushed a military lockdown, we have seen countless human rights violations by state forces against the LGBTQ+. In Pandacaqui,
Pampanga, the barangay captain forced 2 queer youth quarantine violators to kiss each other on camera, and perform a sexy dance for a child. In Zamboanga, trans woman detainees were forcibly shaved by the police in order to humiliate them. In Marikina, an LGBTQ+ prisoner was raped by 76 men under the direct supervision of the chief of police.
As the government railroaded the Anti-Terrorism Bill, Bahaghari organized a Pride March in direct protest. During the Pride March in Mendiola, 20 of us were illegally and violently arrested, which earned us the name Pride 20. In our 5-day detention, we experienced immense discrimination, starvation, torture, and sexual harassment. We even witnessed acts of lasciviousness, where a police officer masturbated while guarding us.
Most recently, President Duterte granted an absolute pardon for Joseph Scott Pemberton, who murdered our trans woman sister
Jennifer Laude in 2014. Even after 6 years of struggle for Jennifer,
Duterte cruelly denied her of justice.
5. What does the presidential pardon of Pemberton tell us about the government’s treatment toward the LGBtQIA+ community?
Duterte’s absolute pardon of Pemberton tells us that the LGBTQ+ are second-class citizens in our own home, especially when our rights begin to contradict the interests of imperialist powers.
6. What can you say about the progress of the sOGIe bill in Congress?
If I’m not mistaken, the SOGIE Equality Bill is, by far, the bill that has been languishing for the longest time in Congress, having been persistently refiled and scrapped over and over for over 20 years already. The Senate President himself, Tito Sotto, has vowed to block the SOGIE Equality Bill through all means possible. This doesn’t mean that it is impossible to achieve a national SOGIE-based AntiDiscrimination Law for the country. What it simply means is that we should not be placing all hopes on forging political alliances with people on top; we should, as well, build a strong mass movement aiming to pressure government into action. This is the idea behind Bahaghari’s #AchibDisBill campaign, a mass campaign aiming to mobilize working-class, youth, and urban-poor LGBTQ+, essentially the broad mass of LGBTQ+ whom we never see or ever hear from.
7. What can you say about Imee Marcos who brands herself as a champion of the LGBtQIA+ rights?
Imee Marcos is a perfect example of politicians who seek to use the LGBTQ+ struggle to advance their own political interests. During the election season, Imee proclaimed: “Iboto ang tunay na bakla sa Senado!” (“Vote a true queer individual into the Senate!”). She was referring, of course, to herself, as she courted the LGBTQ+ community and aimed to seize our votes. However, once Imee had been elected, she filed her own, incredibly watered-down version of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, and also stood against the idea of marriage equality.
Imee and her family support Duterte’s bloody regime, supports Martial Law in Mindanao and all of Duterte’s fascist policies, and is currently spending enormous amounts of money to institutionalize historical revisionism regarding the impact of Ferdinand Marcos’ Martial Rule. Who are the people killed by these policies? The poor. Including the poorest and most marginalized members of the LGBTQ+.
Imee Marcos is no champion of LGBTQ+ rights. She is nothing more than a corrupt, opportunistic fascist aiming to co-opt the LGBTQ+ struggle for her own ends.
8. How important is it to build a multi-sectoral alliance? What is the role of the LGBtQIA+ community in the Filipino mass movement?
ADRIAN PAUL CORTEZ | LOIS LAINE LUA
I believe that at the heart of every activist is empathy. Empathy by itself should be a strong drive for LGBTQ+ activites to recognize oppression happening to others, and to link arms with and fight alongside other oppressed peoples. But even beyond this, it is a reality that the LGBTQ+ community cuts across all sectors: we are farmers, workers, women, youth, national minorities, and more too. None of us are free until all of us are free. And that alone tells us that LGBTQ+ issues are people’s issues, and people’s issues are LGBTQ+ issues. In the mass movement, I believe the LGBTQ+ also have a critical role in the cultural revolution, in forging a world where no child would ever be othered and harmed for being queer, a world where love knows no bounds of gender, a world where we celebrate the diversity of human sexual orientations, gender identities, expressions, and sexual characteristics. No one else would vanguard this cultural shift but the LGBTQ+ embedded in the mass movement.
9. What is your message to the people who are championing the rights of the Filipino people and LGBtQIA+ community?
We are at a critical moment in Philippine history, as we see how the events of 1972 are fast approaching once again. ABS-CBN has been shut down. Martial rule in the form of the Terror Law is taking shape. There are curfews, broad militarization, and now, a law that legitimizes terrorism of the state. The Terror Law is, in fact, worse than an actual imposition of Martial Law. Now there is a council of appointed military men from the AFP and the PNP, a kangaroo court, a literal military junta, declaring who is and who isn’t a terrorist, who gets jailed without warrant, who becomes desaparecidos, who gets tortured, who dies. The fundamental human rights, and the democracy of the Filipino people, are at stake. That is how historic this battle is. But as we have also learned from history, we have the power to shape society to the will of the masses. We took down Marcos. We took down Erap. We can take down a fascist dictator once again.
Kasabay ng pabago-bagong kumpas ng mga alituntunin ng inter-Agency Task Force, tila sirang plaka rin ang kanilang pagdadahilan na buksan ang ekonomiya sa kabila ng kawalang sapat na aksyon ng pamahalaan sa pagsirit ng kaso ng COVid-19.
Pilipinas ang naitalang may pinakamahabang lockdown sa buong mundo dahil sa papalit-palit na restriksyong ipinatupad ng lokal at pambansang
“IspagetIng pababa, pababa nang pababa, IspagetIng
pataas, pataas nang pataas”
Patuloy ang pagsadsad ng pambansang ekonomiya na masasalamin sa mababang Gross Domestic Product (GDP) na pinatindi pa ng pagkabaon ng bansa sa utang. Ayon nga sa Japan Center for Economic Research (JCER), tinatayang bubulusokpaibaba ang GDP ng bansa sa 7.7% sa ikatlong bahagi ng taon. Bagamat mas mababa ito sa naunang inaasahang pagbagsak, ito pa rin ang magiging pinakamababang GDP growth sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas mula noong economic recession sa panahon ng rehimeng Marcos.
Kasabay nito, pataas naman ang pag-utang natin sa mga pandaigdigang organisasyon. Ayon nga sa Bureau of Treasury, sa pagtatapos ng buwan ng Agosto, lumobo ang ating utang sa higit 9.6 trilyong piso. Sa kabila ng pagluluwag ng mga restriksyon at pagbubukas ng ilang mga negosyo, hindi pa rin nito maisasalba ang bansa sa pagkakalugmok sa krisis na magdudulot ng matinding epekto sa mamamayan, partikular sa pinakamahihirap. Patunay na wala sa tamang direksyon ang mga palisiyang ipinapatupad ng pamahalaan na karamihan ay nagsisilbi lamang sa interes ng iilan.
Isa sa mga malakihang epekto ng pandemya ang pagkawala ng milyon-milyong trabaho at ang pagsasara ng libo-libong mga negosyo. Sa datos ng Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, umabot na sa 39.5% o 23.7 milyong mga Pilipino ang walang trabaho. Mas mababa man ito sa mga datos noong Hulyo, nananatili pa ring nasa mataas na lebel ang kawalan ng trabaho sa Pilipinas. Sa katunayan, 39 na porsiyento o 9.243 milyong Pilipino ang nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa COVID-19 labas pa ang mga trabahong nakapailalim sa informal sector na nawala o tumigil dahil sa krisis pangkalusugan.
Wala pa man ang pandemya, hindi pa rin nasosolusyonan ng pamahalaan ang isyu patungkol sa trabaho partikular sa kontraktwalisasyon at ang kakarampot na sahod para sa mga minimum wage earners. Sa sariling bakuran mismo ng gobyerno, mayroong 96,000 kontraktwal na mga empleyado at libo-libong mga bakanteng pwesto na dapat punan. Dagdag pa rito ang pagkawala ng trabaho sa gitna ng pandemya bunsod ng pagsasara ng ABS-CBN na tinatayang may 11 000 apektadong manggagawa. Wala pa ring malinaw na tugon ang pamahalaan sa mga tsuper ng pampublikong mga sasakyan, partikular ng dyip, na magpahanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin pinapayagang pumasada nang walang pahintulot mula sa Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board.
Mahirap na ngang humanap ng mapagkukunan ng kita bago pa ang pandemya, mas lalo pa itong naging mahirap dahil sa pangmatagalang pagsasara ng mga negosyo at establisyimento bunsod ng kawalan ng konkretong aksyon ng gobyerno.
pamahalaan mula enhanced Community Quarantine (eCQ) hanggang General Community Quarantine (GCQ). subalit, napatunayan na hindi sapat ang lockdown kung hindi agresibong tutugon ang pamahalaan gamit ang solusyong medikal. ipinakita ito ng patuloy na paglobo ng mga kaso na nagpopostibo sa sakit kasabay ng pagdausdos ng ekonomiya ng bansa.
JOMIL CHRISTIAN LIZA
“kaya’t IbIgay nIyo na ang amIng ChrIstmas bonus”
Kung magpapatuloy ang militaristikong pagtugon ng pamahalaan sa pandemya imbes na unahing tugunan ang pangangalilangan ng mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng solusyong medikal, mananatiling limitado ang galaw ng ekonomiya. Sa ganitong lagay, pangmatagalang pagdurusa ang sasapitin ng pinakabulnerableng mamamayan ng bansa. Lalo ring aasa ang mamamayan sa ayuda at pinansyal na tulong mula sa pamahalaan na bukod sa mabagal ang pamamahagi ay hindi rin sumasapat sa pangaraw-araw na gastos.
Ayon sa International Monetary Fund (IMF) Policy Responses to COVID-19 tracker, ang ating fiscal policy sa pagtugon sa COVID-19 ay umaabot lamang ng 3.1% ng ating GDP, pinakamaliit ito sa buong Timog-Silangang Asya at kahit na naisabatas na ang Bayanihan to Recover As One Act (Bayanihan 2), kaunti lamang ang magiging pagtaas sa bahagdan ng ating pinansyal na pagresponde sa pandemya.
Kaunti rin ang nakalaan na pang-ayuda sa mga micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Nakasaad sa Bayanihan 2 na maglalaan ang gobyerno ng 10 bilyong piso upang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng 50 000 MSMEs ngunit aminado rin ang Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) na hindi nito matutulungan ang lahat ng negosyo kaya kahit na mayroong nakalaang pondo pang-ayuda, hindi pa rin mapipigilan ng gobyerno ang ilan pang pagsasara ng mga MSMEs ngayong panahon ng pandemya. Baka nga madagdagan pa ito lalo na’t naghahanap pa ng paraan ang gobyerno upang tulungan ang mga MSMEs na bigyan ng 13th month pay ang mga manggagawa.
“kayo po na nakaupo, subukan nIyo namang tumayo”
Napatunayan ng pandemya ang kahinaan ng mga pang-ekonomiyang polisiya ng gobyerno na nakakaling sa pangungutang at iresponsableng paggamit ng pondo ng mamamayan. Kung tunay ang pagnanais ng pamahalaan na solusyonan ang krisis, dapat nitong suportahan ang maliliit na negosyo, partikular na ang mga lokal na negosyong pinakatumutugon sa mga pangangailangan. Nararapat na pagtuunan ng pansin ang sektor ng agrikultura na dumaranas ng pagkalugi bunsod ng Rice Liberalization Law. Unahing solusyonan ng pamahalaan ang pagkalat ng sakit sa pamamagitan ng pagsuporta sa sektor pangkalusugan. Hayaan na rin dapat ang pagpasada ng mga dyip sa kalsada upang sila rin ay kumita sa kabila ng pandemya at mapadali ang pagbiyahe ng mga manggagawa. Ayon nga sa Second Opinion, isang inisyatibo ng grupo ng mga doktor sa Pilipinas, wala pang naiprepresentang siyentipikong ebidensya ang IATF sa desisyong hindi payagan ang pagpasada ng mga dyip. Malinaw na ipinakita ng krisis pangkalusugan ang pangangailangan sa sentralisado, makamasa, at aktibong pagtugon sa mga suliranin sa kumpas ng pamahalaang tunay na may malasakit sa pinakabulnerableng mga miyembro ng lipunan. Sa huli, hangad ng mamamayan ang pamahalaang may pagkilala sa kanilang pangangailangan at handang protektahan ang himig ng masang umaawit para sa mas maunlad na kinabukasan.
mga sanggunian:
Bureau of The Treasury. (2020). National Government Debt Recorded at P9,615 Billion as of end-August 2020. In Bureau of The Treasury. Bureau of The Treasury. https://www.treasury.gov.ph/?p=37069
Cruz, M. (2019, November 23). ‘Regularize all contractuals in government.’ Manila Standard. https://www.manilastandard.net/news/national/310857/regularize-all-contractuals-in-government-.html
De Vera, B. (2020, October 9). PH economic contraction seen slower in Q3. INQUIRER.Net.https://business.inquirer.net/309121/ph-economic-contractionseen-slower-in-q3
Gonzales, A. L. (2020, September 29). P10B from Bayanihan 2 to help 50,000 MSMEs. The Manila Times. https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/09/29/business/ business-top/p10b-from-bayanihan-2-to-help-50000-msmes/773463/
IBON Media and Communications. (2020, July 29). PH ‘stimulus’ smallest in region. IBON Foundation. https://www.ibon.org/ph-stimulus-smallest-in-region/
Lalu, G. P. (2020, October 5). Adult unemployment rate slightly eases, but remains very high — SWS. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1344017/ adult-unemployment-rate-slightly-eases-but-remains-very-high-sws
Sabillo, K. (2020, August 5). Jeepney a safe transportation option during the pandemic, doctors say. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/ news/08/05/20/jeepney-a-safe-transportation-option-during-the-pandemicdoctors-say
palabok de honor
Katipunan ng mga Kinaing salita ng pangulo
DOMINICK SILVERIO
Sa kabila ng bigong pagtugon ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa mga suliraning kaakibat ng pandemya, nakakuha pa rin ang Pangulo ng 91% tiwala at performance ayon sa pinakahuling sarbey na isinagawa ng Pulse Asia. Para sa maraming kritiko, tila palaisipan ang mataas na markang nakuha ni Duterte. Mahihinuhang mabisa pa rin ang mga pakulo ng Pangulo gaya ng pabago-bagong mga pahayag na nagagamit bilang diskarte upang pagtakpan ang pinakamahahalagang usapin sa ilalim ng kanyang pamumuno.
Sa nakalipas na higit na apat na taong panunungkulan, nakaipon na ang masa ng mga salita at katapangang binabali sa oras ng pansariling pangangailangan. Ilang pagbabanta sa katiwalian at ilang pagtatago sa katiwalian ng mga kaalyado. Ilang pananakot at ilang pagtatakip sa baho ng mga kaalyado, samahan pa ng harapang pagpabor sa Tsina at pagtatwa naman sa soberanya. Patunay ang mga ito na ang bagsik ng salita ng Pangulo at para lamang sa itinuturing niyang kaaway ng kanyang administrasyon.
Sa panahon ng pandemya, makikita ang lalong paggamit ng Pangulo ang kanyang taktika sa retorika. Nakatala sa ibaba ang ilan sa harap - harapang pagbabali ng salita at pagkabig ni Duterte sa sarili niyang mga salita.
KAMAY NA BAKAL ABRIL 1, 2020 “My orders to the police and military … if there is trouble or the situation arises where your life is on the line, shoot them dead, Understand? Dead. I’ll send you to the grave. … Don’t test the government.”
HULYO 21, 2020 “There is no other way that we can prevent [Covid-19] from transferring from one person to the other, unless we obey,” Duterte said. “You want [Covid-19] slow down or stop? Wear a mask or do not go out of the house if you do not want to wear mask. ‘Yun lang. At saka ‘yung social distancing (That’s it. And observe social distancing).”
Bakas sa mga unang pahayag ng Pangulo ang katapangan sa pagpapahayag patungkol sa mahigpit na alituntunin para sa Community Quarantine, upang mapigilan ang paglaganap ng COVID-19. Mariin din ang kanyang paghiyakat sa masa na sumunod at magk-isa. Sa kabilang banda, siya mismo ang lumambot at naging maluwag noong minsan ay lumabag sa mismong mga alituntunin ang nagpapatupad nito.
Bigyang pansin ang pagpabor at pagtatanggol ng Pangulo sa kanyang mga tauhan.
MAYO 21 2020 “He is a good officer, he’s an honest one, and hindi niya kasalanan kung may — may magharana sa kanya sa birthday niya,” “Marami ‘yan silang… They are all competent. But you know seniority. It is his time to be there and I do not believe in just firing him because kinantahan siya ng ‘Happy Birthday,’” at “Pinag-aralan ko ‘yung merits at saka demerits, eh kailangan ko ‘yung tao. Mas kailangan ko iyong tao dito sa trabaho niya.”
Pahayag ng Pangulo patungkol sa walang habas na pagbali ng mismong hepe ng polisya sa mga regulasyon upang pigilan ang pagkalat ng sakit.
ANG UtANG NG PILIPINAs
At NAKAWAN sA KABAN NG BAYAN AGOstO 3, 2020 “Ngayon, magsabi kayo i-lockdown mo na ang Maynila, ang ibang lugar, the entire Philippines para talaga wala nang mahawa. Wala ka nang mahduterteawaan, wala ka nang mahawa. Problem is wala na tayong pera. I cannot give food anymore and money to people.”
OKtUBRe 19 2020 “Walang patawad. I do not forgive cases ng corruption. Walang areglo. Wala lahat. No quarters given, no quarters asked kagaya din sa droga, walang pabor dito.” at “The highest interest of the country...and the welfare of the people are really the paramount concern...Kung may patayan diyan, you can hold me responsible for anything, any death that has occurred in the execution of the drug war.”
Makailang ulit na sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte ang kakulangan sa pinansyal na pondo ng bansa at ang kaniyang pagkamuhi hingil sa korapsyon sa loob mismo ng gobyerno. Ilang beses rin siyang nagbanta ng hindi pagkilala sa kahit na sino basta mapatutunayang tiwali ay hindi patatawarin. Ngunit sa kabilang banda ay ang pagpapabaya at pagsasalimot sa korapsyon sa PhilHealth na kung saan hanggang ngayon ay mabagal ang proseso upang panagutin ng mga tiwali.
Suriin kung paano biglang naiba ang pihit ng mga pahayag ng Pangulo. AGOstO 10 2020 “Huwag kayong magkakamali. Itong PhilHealth, sabi ko: Yayariin ko kayo. Maniwala kayo, Yung mga inosente naman, wala kayong dapat iano… Tahimik lang kayo at continue working.” At “All must be prosecuted and jailed.”
AGOstO 21 2020 “At this time, I do not have the evidence or proof, so I am not in a position to say that there’s government men involved …(But) I am inclined to believe that I have to do something about it next week. I’m making the announcement that I may be reshuffling the PhilHealth.”
sA BANtA NG COVID-19 eNeRO 30 2020 “Not yet at this time, it could include China, but at this time I’m not for it. It would not be fair.”
PeBReRO 3 2020 “China has been kind to us, we can only also show the same favor to them. Stop this xenophobia thing.” “They are blaming the Chinese that (the virus) came from China, but it could always incubate in some other place, it is not the fault of anybody. Not the Chinese, not the Filipino, no one.”
PeBReRO 3 2020 “Tayo ang ano — tayo ang the most resilient. Palagay ko hindi aabot dito ‘yan. Kagaya ng SARS. SARS midway just disappeared. It came suddenly and disappeared suddenly. Ganun ‘yang mga contagion ‘yan eh.”
PeBReRO 10 2020 “We are prepared to handle this public health emergency in case the worst scenario happens. Kung hindi natin kaya ang p*tang i*ang idiot na coronavirus na ito, hinanap ko gusto ko sampalin ang g*go.”
MAYO 5 2020 “So kung ganoon, ‘wag ka sanang mamatay hanggang January. Hintayin mo ‘yung vaccine. ‘Pag tinawag ka ng kamatayan, sabihin mo p— ina ka umalis ka diyan, may hinihintay ako na vaccine. Hindi ko pa panahon mamatay,”
Sa mga unang buwan ng taon na sinabayan ng pagputok ng COVID-19 ay buo ang kumpiyansa ng Pangulo sa kakayahan ng kaniyang gobyerno. Sinabi rin niya na huwag maging eksaherado sa banta ng sakit at tigilan ang Xenophobic na mentalidad laban sa Tsina. Hindi niya dininig ang suhestiyong isara ang bansa pansamantala at sinabing hindi ito patas para sa kaibigang bansa. Nariyang minura niya ang virus at gusto niyang sampalin bilang papagpakita ng hindi niya pagkatinag sa pandemyang kinakaharap ng bansa. Ngunit noong lumobo na ang bilang ng nagkakasakit ay bumiglang pihit si Pangulong Duterte na noon pa man raw ay sinabihan na niya tayong maging handa at pinaalalahanan niya ang mamamayan noon pa man.
Tingnan ang pabalikwas na pahayag ng Pangulo.
ABRIL 6 2020 “Itong COVID na ito, ito talaga ‘yung tunay na at the start sinabi ko sa inyo bantay kayo dito, bantay tayo, talagang yayariin tayo nitong COVID na ‘to. It might not really cripple a country but it will of course, you know, cause a sadness and fear kung paano tayo makaraos dito.”
ANG PANGULO At ANG DIYOs HULYO 21 2020 “Marunong ang Diyos. Alam niya, hindi niya tayo pababayaan especially Pilipinas kasi Kristiyano tayo. Magsakripisyo lang tayo konti,”at “Tutal ang ating idol nagsakripisyo man din, pinag hampas-hampas, pinako pa sa krus. Tayo, pasimbasimba lang.Luhod luhod ka lang diyan. Dedicate it to the Lord that you also suffer for the country.”
Sa kaniyang talumpati ngayong taon ay pinalakas niya ang loob ng bawat Pilipino sa gitna ng pandemya at nanawagang patuloy na manalig sa Diyos. Hinikayat niyang magtiis ang lahat at kilalanin ang pandemya bilang pagsubok at sakripisyo. Subalit hindi malilimot ang kanyang lapastangang pahayag patungkol sa Diyos noong 2018 kung saan inulan ng batikos ang kanyang pahayag.
HUNYO 23 2018 “Who is this stupid God? Estupido talaga itong p***** i** kung ganun. You created some --- something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work.” .
Pinupunlaan kahalagahan
IKA-LIMANG UtOs OKtUBRe 6 2020 “Maraming sinasabi ‘Rule of law, hindi ka naman sumusunod. Marami kang pinapatay.’ Wala ho akong pinatay na tao. Never, never. Magtanong ka sa pulis dito sa Pilipinas.”
OKtUBRe 19 2020 “Pero huwag niyo ako bintangan sa patayan na di mo alam sino pumatay.”
Ngayong taon ay mariing tinatanggi ng Pangulong Duterte ang kaniyang partisipasyon sa kabilaang mga patayaan sa loob ng bansa. Pero tatlong taon ang nakaraan noong siya mismo ay buong tapang niyang ikinwento sa bansa kung paano siya humanap ng papatayin at kawalang takot na makulong dahil dito.
Balikan ang pahayag na ito noong 2017
NOBYeMBRe 9 2017 “But in Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys that, if I can do it why can’t you? And I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. Talagang naghanap ako ng engkwentro para makapatay,” at “Putang ina, ‘pag ginawa mo sa Pilipino iyan, hihiritan kita. Kulong? Ay sus. Kulong, eh noong teenager ako pasok-labaspasok ako sa kulungan,” dagdag niya. “Rambol dito, rambo—at the age of 16, may pinatay na ako. Tao talaga. Rambol. Saksak. Noong 16 years old iyon, nagkatinginan lang. Eh lalo na ako ngayong presidente na ako. You fuck with my countrymen, ‘di kita papalusutin. Bahala na kayong human rights.”
PAReHAs NA ARAW NOONG OKtUBRe 2020
OKtUBRe 19, 2020 “Kung may patayan diyan, you can hold me responsible for anything, any death that has occurred in the
MAG-ResIGN NA AKO
Higit sa lahat, pinaka hindi malilimutan ng mamamayan ang kasaysayan ng retorika ng Pangulo patungkol sa kanyang pagbitaw sa pwesto. “I want to Resign” at “Gusto ko na magresign” ang ilan sa maraming pahayag ng Pangulo na gumawa ng kontrobersiya ngunit kalianman ay hindi tinupad.
Sapul nang mailuklok sa pwesto, makailang ulit nang ginamit ng Pangulo ang pahayag sa pagbibitiw upang malayo ang mamamayan sa mga usaping nararapat na pinaguusapan. Matatandaan ang ilan sa mga rason sa likod ng pahayag na ito.
Nariyan ang pagbitiw kung sakaling hindi mapuksa ang problema sa droga sa loob ng 3 o 6 na buwan; kung pipirma ng petition ang mga kababaihan matapos nitong halikan ang isang Pinay OFW sa Korea na may asawa; kung nanaisin ng militar; kung papalitan siya sa pwesto ni Bongbong Marcos.
Bababa rin umano siya sa pwesto kung magiging House Speaker ang anak niya; kung mapapatunayang sangkot ang anak niya sa transaksyon ng droga sa Davao; dahil umano ay napapagod na siya; pagnanais na bumaba dahil sa hindi maresolbang korapsyon sa pamahalaan; agad na pagbaba niya pwesto kung mapapatunayang may Diyos; at kung mapapatunayang sangkot siya sa pagpapatalsik sa noo’y Punong Mahistrado Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Dibisyon. Ito ang tunay na motibo ni Pangulong Duterte sa likod ng mga salita at pahayag na naitala. Pinupunlaan ng Pangulo ang tumitinding dibisyon ng masa sa usapin ng politika na nagdudulot ng pagtatalo, isang panlilinlang upang itanim ang kaniyang kahalagahan at ikatakot ng mamamayan ang kanyang pagbibitiw.
Binabalot din ng takot ang tatak ng kanyang pamamahala. Makikita rin sa ilang pahayag ang pagbabanta ng pagbitiw bilang instrumento ng pangangako na sigurado siya sa isang bagay, gumagawa siya ng ilusyong handa siyang itaya ang posisyon niya upang patunayan ang sarili. Ginagamit niya itong baraha upang umapela ng awa, na siya ay huwaran at napapagod na upang maimbalido ang kritisismo, at maihilis ang pokus ng mamamayan sa tunay na usapin.
Isang huwad na pagpapanggap lamang ang lahat ng pahayag ni Pangulong Duterte na ang tanging prayoridad niya ay ang kaayusan at kapakanan ng Pilipino sapagkat tanging personal na interes lamang niya at ng kaniyang pamahalaan ang lagi’t laging pinoprotektahan. Kaya’t kasabay ng sama - samang paglaban sa kinahaharap na pandemya, kinakailangan ang agarang paglaban sa pinunong diktador, pasista, at walang isang salita. Marapat na maipakita sa masa ang mapangmanipulang mga taktika na ito na pumipigil sa masa na mag-alsa at patalsikin ang rehimeng kailanman ay hindi naging maka-masa.
