The perils of oversimplification | Philstar.com
The perils of oversimplification
THE CORNER ORACLE - Andrew J. Masigan - The Philippine Star September 15, 2021 | 12:00am
On the campaign trail, Mr. Duterte mesmerized the crowd with extravagant promises that brought them to a state of euphoria. He promised to end the drug trade, end criminality, end corruption, end social injustice, end political dynasties, end political turncoatism and end the insurgency – all within six months! He also vowed to do all he could to defend Philippine sovereignty against China’s encroachment.
He reiterated his flamboyant promises yet again during his first State of the Nation Address. All those hungry for change were spellbound. At this point, President Duterte could do no wrong and his popularity soared.
Slowly, however, reality set in and the President’s narrative began to change. In his 2018 SONA, he admitted that the drug war could not be won within six months – not even in one year. In his 2019 SONA, he admitted that he could not solve corruption either. In the SONA delivered last June, he admitted that he underestimated the depth and breadth of both the drug problem and of corruption. He said both were so entrenched in the system that no one could fix them.
The fairy tale that President Duterte sold to the public turned out to be a mirage – an illusion. When it was time to deliver, he either reneged on his promises, made a joke of them or ignored them. In reality, the joke was on us, gullible Filipinos who believed the Duterte narrative. Five years into the administration and the drug trade is thriving, corruption is back with the cold-bloodedness of Satan himself, social injustice is pervasive and political dynasties are more entrenched than ever. As for China’s territorial grab, well, they are allowed to have their way in the West Philippine Sea while Malacañang watches passively without pushback.
I am not sure if President Duterte feels embarrassed about falling flat on his promises. But it begs the question – why make such extravagant promises if the probability of keeping them is less than fair?