Filipinos expected President Rodrigo Duterte to ramble and curse again at his third State of the Nation Address, but he surprised everybody by sticking to the script and ending his speech in just 48 minutes.
But a bigger surprise emerged even before the President stepped off the presidential chopper, as allies of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo maneuvered to oust Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as Speaker, just before the Sona.
Earlier in the day, House members circulated a document that supported Arroyo as the new Speaker, ousting Alvarez.
There was an apparent confusion as Arroyo took her oath at the front of the plenary hall just a few minutes before Alvarez welcomed Mr. Duterte to the House.
Reports say Alvarez’s ouster had been long brewing, given his colleagues’ dissatisfaction with his leadership, his controversial statements, and his conflict with presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
The leadership change stole some thunder from the President’s speech itself, which was refreshingly direct and relatively brief, highlighting Mr. Duterte’s legislative agenda and other priorities before an audience of millions.
Alvarez’s and Arroyo’s reversals of fortune also emphasized the tenet that in politics, nothing is ever permanent.
Government leaders should not become heady with power and feel as though they can get away with doing anything and saying anything they pleased. Public service is exactly that—not an opportunity to flaunt influence or utter self-aggrandizing statements.
Now that the House leadership issue has been settled, we expect our officials to buckle down to work at the start of the new cycle, using their mandate to advance the interests of the people—not their own. Here, there should be no distraction.