• Notable fumbles in debate recalled
TOWARD the last part of last Sunday’s presidential debate in Cebu City, Digong Duterte pitched a curve ball to Grace Poe. He asked what she would immediately do as President if roused up by a report that the Chinese have sunk two Coast Guard cutters in the Spratlys.

Poe went into circumlocution talking about defense arrangements, poor state of our military capability, et cetera, and then remarked that since she was asleep she would first wake up (joke time?).

But what would you do immediately, Duterte pressed. For a while, this viewer thought the Filipino-turned-American-turned-Filipino was going to say that she would pick up the hotline to the US embassy. (We assume she would have such a line installed if elected President).

Poe lost that one. And also that point of her saying that she did not sign the Senate committee report and recommendations on the billions in the coconut levy funds in the hands of one of her reported campaign financiers. Records show that, contrary to her claim, she did sign that document.

That hypothetical emergency in the Spratlys is no minor matter, especially for a President and commander-in-chief who is new on the job. The delicate situation out there could escalate any time considering the ongoing brinkmanship in the South China Sea.

The tiff with China is one of the hot issues awaiting the incoming President. Filipinos should consider the maturity, patriotism and leadership qualities of the candidates when they vote on May 9.

Duterte himself also fumbled when he failed, while answering a direct question during the rebuttal, to detail how he would make good his campaign promise to solve crime and corruption in three to six months upon becoming President.

There is widespread concern about Duterte’s method. In the context of his repeated boasts that he would not hesitate to kill criminals, either via execution vigilante style or using due process, we might just see a bloodbath. He must explain how he intends to execute this plan.

Recalling the tweets mentioned earlier, Duterte’s additional “P” to the 4Ps of Roxas could be “Pantawid sa kabilang buhay” as pointed out by tweeter Nordin Pumbaya*1abuazzam