The level of public discourse coming from presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte is sickening. From cursing Pope Francis and threatening to slap rival Mar Roxas, Duterte has now challenged Mar to a public show and tell who between them is “tuli” or circumcised. The latest outburst from the Davao City mayor was sparked by Mar’s statement that presidential candidates should make public their health records.
While Duterte may have gained a few guffaws from the men folk and the street crowd, his latest loose-lips remark only show that he’s crass and totally without class. Cussing the head of the Roman Catholic Church and later saying he would go to Rome to seek an audience with the Pope to ask for forgiveness won’t wash away what he already said even if the Pope forgives him. Even if Duterte drinks a whole bottle of holy water to wash his mealy mouth. Dirty Rudy is no longer funny. He can no longer be romanticized by his publicists as tough-talking and just being flamboyant.
Voters are one with Mar Roxas in this case that candidates seeking the highest post in the land must make public their health record. The people have a right to know that the person they are electing president is fit and can last the rigorous six-year course the presidency demands. Duterte has already admitted suffering from at least four ailments. But to what extent and how seriously he is sick need to be certified by doctors.
Like the incumbent President, voters should have insisted on the medical records of one Benigno Simeon Aquino III as to his true state of mental health. The same should be sought from Duterte whose reckless public outbursts could be alarm bells or red flags. If Duterte decides to join the presidential debates proposed by the Commission on Elections, Miriam Defensor Santiago might show him as less healthy than she is—and Santiago is cancer-stricken.
Who will join the presidential debate and who will not? This should be the first test of the qualifications of the candidate. There are reports that only Roxas, Santiago and Poe are willing to join the debate proposed by the Comelec.
In the current race for the United States presidency, a series of debates gave voters a good look at the candidates. Their demeanor and the substance of what they say give an insight into the kind of persons that they are. This is good for a vibrant democracy. Aside from the presidential debates, the American presidential candidates are put to another test: the presidential caucus of which Iowa, the heartland of America, and the New England state of New Hampshire primaries, are the benchmark of how the polls would go.
Mark Rubio topped the Iowa caucus while business tycoon Donald Trump came out first in New Hampshire for the Republican nomination. Senator Bernie Sanders edged out former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
There are certain issues in the US presidential race that have striking similarities with the Philippine political landscape. The brash-talking Trump whom Duterte must be using as campaign template, is questioning the citizenship of Mark Rubio who has a large following with the Latino community. But his Latino votes is shared with Ted Cruz, also of Hispanic descent. Trump, with his outrageous public statements that found resonance with Americans, is leading the race with 33-percent.
Sanders—although the age issue is not directly raised by Clinton—looks like your jovial grandfather. But his grandfatherly looks give him the appearance of someone who can be trusted.
Speaking of trust, that may be the hardest sell for a certain candidate in Philippine politics. Those who skipped the presidential debates may be suspected of trying to hide something or cannot defend the issues that could be raised against them. They will probably dismiss the debates as a waste of time. That would be the first sign they are not qualified to exchange ideas and air their platform of government. The presidential debates should be all about the platform of government the candidates who want to lead the nation should offer the electorate.
Will Duterte join the debate? Will Miriam be able to come clean on the state of her health? Will Grace Poe’s citizenship be already cleared by the time the debates start? Will Mar Roxas be able to say something new instead of just mouthing PNoy’s discredited “daang matuwid?”