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HINDSIGHT

The Duterte Revolution

7/27/2016

61 Comments

 
We are at the start of a revolution that is uniquely Filipino in the same way that EDSA 1 was. The past decades that were a slow drift to an implosion due to rampant corruption, weakened institutions and the apathy of Filipinos has finally been arrested -- not by a man on a white horse, or a soldier atop a tank, but through the ballot by a foul-mouthed Indio, the first politician courageous enough to challenge the Catholic Church and the powerful, arrogant and, yes, unclean media. His ideology in its basic simplicity is love of country and people, and a willingness to sacrifice for it. 
 
The ramifications of Duterte's assault on the rotten status quo, which has begun with the war on drugs, will go deeper into the matrix of our society and government as police, politicians and powerful Filipinos are subjected to the harsh scrutiny of the revolution. Eventually the highest enclaves of privilege will feel its impact for the simple reason that rampant corruption also afflicts our business and banking sectors. 
 
Many of our problems are due to the irresponsibility of the oligarchy; they are the number one culprit of our economic and moral decline. They argue and make decisions from comfortable positions. The revolution is happening, and they cannot see it. Perhaps, when it reaches them, they will be forced to be more socially involved and invest in enterprises that will "spread money like fertilizer." They may even bring home the money they have stashed or invested abroad, and participate in the resurgence of ethics and patriotism.
 
Populist programs particularly in education, in health and in housing are an absolute necessity but they should not cultivate mendicancy. It is important that many jobs are created as President Roosevelt did during America's Great Depression. The monetary aid being dispensed to the very poor under the past administration should be stopped and in its place, jobs.
 
Populist programs should not bankrupt the economy and result in dire shortages of food and medicines as is happening in oil-rich Venezuela. Apart from creating jobs and therefore increasing production, the Duterte government should also widen the tax base and intensify tax collection. As in the United States, tax evasion should be dealt with severely by imprisonment and confiscation of assets. There is hardly anyone in this country that is put in jail for tax evasion. It will take a lot of courage to do this, but President Duterte has tons of it.
 
HIS MASSIVE SUPPORT cuts across ethnicities, across social, economic and generational divides. All sorts of people supported his election, among them those who saw where the wind was blowing. Even the Moros did. The Left did not; as with EDSA 1, their feet were not on the ground. They supported Grace Poe instead, unmindful of the big money that was behind her.
 
Yet, upon occupying office, President Duterte took the high moral ground by accommodating the Communist left and extending a hand to the Moro rebels. The response of these rebel movements to his offer of a unilateral ceasefire and peace will validate -- or invalidate -- their sincerity. It is only with peace that we can have real development. 
 
The first weeks of the Duterte administration have already given us hope in several sectors -- in agriculture, in the welfare of our OFWs, in transportation, education, housing, telecommunications and services. And most of all, access to the very top for the aggrieved, and transparency of government transactions, long withheld by politicians and the powerful with secrets to hide. 
 
His major failing, as I see it, is his accommodation of the Marcos dictatorship. Why? He is fully aware of its evil, its immoral excesses, and its singular role in impoverishing our country. For that reason it is too early to be euphoric. 
 
MAKE NO MISTAKE though. This revolution is rooted in ethics and patriotism as were most revolutions in the past. It will not be a quick fix. The Mexican and Vietnamese revolutions lasted one generation; we must be prepared for the painful process, the collateral damage, the emotional travail.
 
Yet there is no certitude, no guarantee, that this revolution will create a free and just society. Remember how the French revolution devoured its own children, Madame Roland exclaiming before the guillotine, "Oh liberty, what crimes are committed in your name!"
 
That revolution ushered Napoleon, just like the American Revolutionary War preceded the Civil War, the Chinese revolution brought about the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution that decimated hundreds of thousands, and the Iranian revolution brought about Islamic fundamentalism. But the revolutions changed these countries forever. For this is what every revolution does -- it alters society, and transfers power from the oppressor to the oppressed. 
 
It is a risk that all people must take to be free of oppression, to have justice. It is up to the survivors of any revolution to realize that it does not bring immediate social benefits to the people. At its conclusion, it is precisely at this opportune time that revolutionaries have to work harder to make that cataclysmic change bear fruit. It is the time when they should depart to be replaced by excellent administrators who have the technical knowledge and expertise for development. The sword must now be forged into a plowshare. 
   
IN USHERING a meaningful change for the Philippines, President Duterte has incurred the wrath of so many in all levels of society, from the slums to the perfumed precincts of the very rich who feel that their status and privileges are threatened. It is very possible that this very day, conspiracies are being hatched to assassinate him. If such plans succeed, they may well halt the revolution although several changes have already been made permanent.
 
But our past has shown how Filipinos easily forget and are not all that vigilant. Soon, the baser side of our nature, our instincts, will prevail. President Magsaysay brought about a clean government but upon his death in 1957, in that airplane crash which up to this very day is considered by many as sabotage, corruption returned instantly. And the very stalwarts who supported Magsaysay could do little to stop the resurgence of this evil.
 
Whatever good the Duterte revolution succeeds in implanting in the Filipino consciousness must therefore be made permanent, institutionalized. This can be made possible by constant testing under stress, as metals are tested and strengthened by fire, and by also ingesting in our hearts the ideal of love of country and people -- and the willingness to sacrifice for it -- so that we can redeem this unhappy country at last. 
61 Comments
Gabby Lopez
7/27/2016 09:11:40

Great reflective reading. Maraming salamat po.

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lily rebulanan villa-ignacio
7/28/2016 14:36:24

I am in tears while reading this.
Just cannot imagine if President Digong Duterte will be liken to President Magsaysay. Why such a good man whose only dream is to make his people live in peace will be assassinated because of an evil minded person.

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Reynaldo Cabungcal
8/12/2016 11:24:55

LIKE

Andrew Craig-Bennett
7/28/2016 20:21:30

This would be a lovely story, but - the "foul mouthed Indio" is a persons adopted by the son of a Marcos crony who is in all material respects, including dynasty formation, multiple Bank Accounts, and the deniable use of goons, a standard issue trapo.

There are a couple of new things to take note of, with this specimen of Trapo Filipinensis, but my list is a little different.

I pick out the use of the social media to create the illusion of overwhelming popularity - "it's not Bilderberg; its Zuckerberg" - and the wholesale lifting of policy points - including the shoot to kill policy for drug users and pushers and the promised, but so far illusory, Police pay rise "to eliminate corruption", from Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand.

View the new President from this perspective and his coddling of the Marcoses and of Macapagal-Arroyo cease to be puzzling exceptions to an admirable course of conduct and become instead precisely what we might expect of a provincial trapo.

Reach for Occam's Razor at this point - what is the simplest explanation for Duterte's behaviour?

This is no Magsaysay; this is a man who models himself on Ferdinand Marcos.

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Joshua Bartolome
7/28/2016 21:28:38

How exactly did Duterte coddle Macapagal-Arroyo?

It wasn't him who freed the ex-president -- it was the Supreme Court after a demurrer concluded that the supposed "evidence" against her wasn't even worth a trial. And before you slide into some sort of historical amnesia, let's remember that Duterte actually protested against GMA during her reign, but was willing to concede that there was no point holding the disabled woman as a political prisoner (whether you like it or not, that's exactly what she was) when there's really nothing that can say she's guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Yet here you are, saying that he's so much like Marcos. For what? For respecting Macapagl-Arroyo's decision to trust the Philippine justice system? For stepping back and allowing due process to actually happen, for once, after decades of judicial abuse by the Aquino administration? Wow, a dictator who agreed with Amal Alamuddin's case that the detention of Macapagal-Arroyo violated international law and human rights. Since when did self-styled dictators do that?

You didn't use Occam's Razor. You were selective in your facts and basically ignored these inconvenient truths.

That's called cherry picking.

Patrick
8/20/2016 21:02:50

Total agreement with Andrew here. And really disappointed that someone like F. Sionil Jose would fall in such an obvious trap...

Jo Mana
5/11/2020 06:00:38

This. Exactly.

RAMON BUNAG
7/28/2016 22:27:10

Pres DU30 is the reflection of 16million filipinos who voted him in and kicked out the old trapos, old and rotting system of government.

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Felisa
8/8/2016 02:51:16

Thank you for this very inspiring, thoughtful message to all Filipinos. In every revolution, theres shedding of blood. Though it is a painful process but this is inevitable. Sad to say.

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Mylene Basco-Tiamso
7/27/2016 09:35:12

Salamat po mahal na pambansang alagad ng sining sa patuloy na pagmumulat ng kamalayan ng taong bayan. Mabuhay po kayo at mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

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Albert B. Casuga
7/27/2016 09:36:47

I totally agree with your analysis of the change that Duterte might be able to bring about. The caveat in your final paragraph is urgent, specially with our sad experiences with the fizzling out of the EDSA promise. Thank you, Manong Frankie.

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Florencio Q. Lucero link
7/27/2016 09:41:05

Thank you for reinforcing what I have been thinking and feeling since Duterte's election into office.

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Ran Fernandez
7/27/2016 10:11:03

I am clinching my fist with honor.

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Denver Torres
7/27/2016 10:31:21

"If such plans succeed, they may well halt the revolution although several changes have already been made permanent."

I agree.

Daghang salamat Manong Frankie for guiding us - this is how a 21st century man must think and act

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Denver Torres
7/27/2016 10:31:31

"If such plans succeed, they may well halt the revolution although several changes have already been made permanent."

I agree.

Daghang salamat Manong Frankie for guiding us - this is how a 21st century man must think and act

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Elmer Ranola
7/27/2016 10:53:26

I am in tears..

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Bing Balayon
7/27/2016 10:58:36

Thank you Sionil Jose!

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Junceleramd
7/27/2016 11:13:09

Thank you fsioniljose!
Touched the patriot in me. Fervor burning.

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dinggol araneta divinagracia link
7/27/2016 11:46:45

Salamat! for sharing Sir F.Sionil Jose.

"Discipline is the name of the game"... and very soon! ... or forever perish as a people.

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Corabel Diel
7/27/2016 11:50:14

Thank you. Nice to know.

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Nap Meneses
7/27/2016 11:55:18

We heard you Mr. President DUTERTE loud and clear because you have "spoken from the heart." Keep us safe, protect our children from criminals, keep our country drug-free and corruption-free. Fight for our nation and the Filipino people will fight for you. Let us all rise from the ugly rubbles of fraud, waste and abuse. Congratulations!!!

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rommel v, ocana
7/27/2016 12:29:44

Mabuhay ka fsioniljose....! Mabuhay Pang. Rodrigo Duterte..! Mabuhay ang Rebolusyon...! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.

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Jules Benitez link
7/27/2016 12:38:52

I sensed the revolution coming. Thank you for publicly acknowledging it.

This may be the broadest-based revolution ever in our country with three armed revolutionary movements backing it up: MNLT, MILF and the CPP-NDF-NPA. This is on top of the 16 million Dutertards.

May pag-asa.

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Linda Angeles-Hill
7/27/2016 21:10:42

May pag-asa talaga kung tutulungan natin si Presidente Duterte.

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Shad Mindalano
7/27/2016 12:53:32

With a clenched fist... babae ako na Moro but for the rest of my life, I will take this to heart and do my share. Thank you.

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Anton Reyes
7/27/2016 13:03:32

Insightful. From afar, those of us who are in foreign lands are ever watchful of the goings-on in our home country. We hope and pray that perhaps, this time around, we can have a real and lasting revolutionary change. Mabuhay po kayo, Kaka!

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Maria Carmen MIranda
7/27/2016 13:29:11

Very moving sir! I think that our President Rody reads your masterpieces and is inspired by them - your thoughts, your wisdom! I feel honored to have lived in this lifetime together with F. SIonil Jose and President Rodrigo Duterte.

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Victoria L. Faicol
7/27/2016 13:41:34

Thank you Pres. Duterte & Mr. Sionil Jose for giving us hope!

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bobby ulili
7/27/2016 13:51:58

an assault on the status quo - the only way for real change

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Gor Bismori link
7/27/2016 15:26:41

Reaction to “The Duterte Revolution” By F. S. Jose, With All My Respect


“More than fifty salvaged”—it’s the only thing that seems to be marking this “revolution” to me, Mr. Jose, and I wonder why no one’s said a thing.

The violence, Mr. Jose, and exercise of power with no accountability—impunity, we’d have routinely called it—seem to me ARE what IS setting this “revolution” apart from EDSA I. Again, I AM wondering why—why, that is, no one (except for a very few; De Lima comes to mind) has said a thing. Not one cry of protest, not one angry fist raised.

I agree, “the past decades had been a slow (but sure) walk towards implosion” but give it time, I always say. Mark the men around this “Indio,” like Yasay, that appeaser, who would rather negotiate (with China out of fear) instead of jubilating that Hague took OUR side; like Villar, whose single qualification is that his Dad was one of this administration’s richest donors; and like Mariano, receiving the DAR portfolio for nothing more than because he’s from the Left.

No, sorry, but it’s too early to return any sound verdict.

And the killings. Until now, no one’s addressed them. It may not pain you, but it does, me.

And no, Mr. Jose, the “war on drugs” isn’t won, and won’t be won, with naked warfare (execution with no hearing), that has, almost always, claimed the poor, “drug lords” or none. That’s not how you defeat the drug trade, Mr. Jose, but it’s a nice way to intimidate Filipinos. Why this would “eventually” strike at the “enclaves of privilege” is putting it oversimply. With utmost respect, please. Mr. Jose.

I mean, come on, Mr. Jose. You wrote “My Brother, My Executioner.” You know what justice is, and justice isn’t served by annihilating them all, and wiping out the junkies in the ’hood (and that, we don’t know) who’re too little to protest, because whose ear would listen?

I agree, we had (since forever) been sliding down towards a plutocracy, but why is THIS president the white knight? What has been his experience? Your “perhaps, when it reaches them [the oligarchy], they will be forced to be more socially involved and invest in enterprises that will ‘spread money like fertilizer’ sounds to me like an expression of hope, not the outcome Duterte’s policies are aimed to achieve. Come to that, what are THIS president’s policies? We don’t know, he mentioned none in his SONA, and so far, blandishments and platitudes are all I’ve heard from this guy, never mind the “foul mouth and tough vocabulary.” When he was campaigning, Erap could do those, too.

A humble guy (whom Duterte isn’t) is not necessarily a moral guy. “I will execute you, Peter Lim” isn’t being brave; it’s being a bully, the amateur kind. A bad one.

“Sloppy writing leads to sloppy thought,” said Orwell, but it’s also true that “violent language is proof of the violence in the sayer’s shadow.” And sir, I see you agree, with Digong’s accommodation of the Marcoses, also one of his richest donors. It isn’t only a major failing, either, it’s a MAJOR, MORAL failing.

Sir, there is NO revolution. If there is one, it isn’t Duterte who’s prosecuting it. The underground movement? I don’t even know that anymore, since even Joma’s Rody’s ally, fighting the drug war, pursuing bourgeoisie causes.

Digong may yet succeed—Rody may yet become a president of the masses and for the masses—but I would rather be a skeptic. The killings are making me one.

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Noli
7/29/2016 08:30:31

I feel you.

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Mike Henderson
7/29/2016 10:43:38

I could not agree more. Comparing Duterte coming to power with the People Power Revolution dishonors the noble Filipinos who eschewed violence and believed in peaceful change in 1986. Filipino society is better than Duterte's policy of leaving hundreds of dead bodies in the streets and hoping against hope that a just society emerges from the carnage.

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Andrew Craig-Bennett
7/30/2016 14:06:57

I sadly agree.

This is no "revolution"; this is the resistible, but so far unresisted, rise to power of an old style provincial trapo, a man who owes his position to his father's friendship with Marcos and his mother's friendship with Aquino, who has used his position to assemble an old style dynasty, who has stuffed the great offices of the state with his mediocre cronies, his concealed wealth, his extraordinary copying of policies from anywhere, including Thaksin Shinawatra's failed policies on drugs and on police corruption, his acceptance of electoral support from Marcos and from Arroyo, his shameful abandonment of the Philippines position to China, his endorsement of murder...

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Dece Leonares
8/8/2016 23:31:13

I do not know if any of you have ever lived in the Philippines. Because if you have, you would have understood what the writer meant about this revolution. It is something new. It is something fresh! Criminals are being called out and are made to face the law or the consequence of their lawlessness. It has always been convenient to be an armchair critic. If you have cancer in your body, you would want to get it treated and most often it would take radical surgery and a strength-draining regimen of chemotherapy. This president is dealing with cancer in his domain and the pills are not easy to swallow. He was voted by his countrymen to lead them and is expected to do what he promised them in his campaign. They expect lawlessness to end. They want peace. But peace has a price. I think he is a brave man to do what others failed in their place before him. Hard to do this with armchair management style. Let the revolution succeed! Mabuhay!

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Reggie Gulle link
7/27/2016 18:07:55

Mr. Sionil-Jose,

I look for discourse that would lead the world. Not just the Philippines, but the world.

We have all been used to the Philippines being the follower. Even in your writings, there is a sliver of sentiment with Trostksy or Marx. Yes, it seems as if to be a good Philippines we must follow them. With Rizal's writings, there is a sliver of thought favoring the philosophy of Germany.

What I mean is, the Philippines has always been a follower.

There was never a "philippine revolution" in the sense of a "french revolution" that could influence the USA or any other country.

What I am saying is: should we be like vietnam or mexico ( as you have mentioned )? should we be followers? Is there never a way for a Filipino to become a leader? cannot a filipino be as revolutionary as Marx or Thomas Jefferson?

Duterte is a Lee-kwan-Yew type leader. He is a follower, by what he demonstrates at the moment. All of his actions would lead people to think that he has taken his stance from previous leaders. The fact that Filipinos approve of his stance means that the "revolution" you speak of is merely an echo of many others which have already been waged.

Is this the destiny we should be leaning towards?

There has never been any "philippine revolution" or "vietnamese revolution" or "mexican revolution" that leads the world much like the "french revolution" or the "american revolution" or the "russian revolution". Perhaps there is still the need for a true "Philippine Revolution" that can lead the world. But this one isn't it.

I was hoping that you and the intelligentsia you have influence over can truly work towards a "Philippine revolution" that can be better than the "French revolution" or the "American revolution". A revolution that can truly redefine "freedom, the equality of all people, and the right to pursue happiness" for all the world.

For all the world. That starts with the Philippines.

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cynthia estrada
7/27/2016 18:47:54

We need younger leaders. Leaders with different values of these old guys who were angry young men of the 60's. Enough of that now.

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Linda Angeles-Hill
7/27/2016 21:27:37

For the first time since the FVR presidency I'm reeling with immeasurable excitement about the prospects of the Duterte administration. 30 years ago we booted a dictator and with it I had hoped its excesses and evils. 30 years on I think all we really did was boot out Marcos. This time I'm hopeful we can really see a better Philippines. Thanks Mr Jose for reinforcing my gut feel about this presidency.

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whisper
7/27/2016 23:03:50

The rhetoric is not required. We need to pray though if we believe in the one Sovereign who installed this president. I pray that Duterte will always have God's protection and that his decisions will always be motivated by his love for the people of the Philippines.

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Benjamin Vallejo Jr
7/27/2016 23:04:49

he so called "Duterte Revolution" is nothing but a continuation of the 1896 one. Last December, I argued that one of the first acts of this revolution is to disestablish the privileges of the Manila based elite which opposed Rodrigo Duterte's installation to power. The disestablishment has started since the Legislature is now headed by politicians from the most marginalized island. The Legislature will secure the revolution via a constitutional amendment.
The corrupt estates will have to disestablished and this has commenced, beginning with media, then the rent seeking churches, the extractive oligarchy and neo oligarchy and then the corrupt judicature. The last one is worth watching for us students of revolution. Note that I used "judicature" rather than the oft used "judiciary". Judicature refers to the system of administering justice not the system of justice itself. It is the system of administering justice that is very corrupt. Those who cry "Rule of Law" will have to answer the question, "What kind of Rule of Law"? Is this rule of law the one that is the raison d' etre of the corrupt judicature?

With the people's and the nation's support this revolution will likely be peaceful. The empowerment of the masses and the people will continue through democratization of information and access to it. The room for reactionaries becomes less and less.

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Benjamin Vallejo Jr
7/27/2016 23:04:56

he so called "Duterte Revolution" is nothing but a continuation of the 1896 one. Last December, I argued that one of the first acts of this revolution is to disestablish the privileges of the Manila based elite which opposed Rodrigo Duterte's installation to power. The disestablishment has started since the Legislature is now headed by politicians from the most marginalized island. The Legislature will secure the revolution via a constitutional amendment.
The corrupt estates will have to disestablished and this has commenced, beginning with media, then the rent seeking churches, the extractive oligarchy and neo oligarchy and then the corrupt judicature. The last one is worth watching for us students of revolution. Note that I used "judicature" rather than the oft used "judiciary". Judicature refers to the system of administering justice not the system of justice itself. It is the system of administering justice that is very corrupt. Those who cry "Rule of Law" will have to answer the question, "What kind of Rule of Law"? Is this rule of law the one that is the raison d' etre of the corrupt judicature?

With the people's and the nation's support this revolution will likely be peaceful. The empowerment of the masses and the people will continue through democratization of information and access to it. The room for reactionaries becomes less and less.

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cottoncandy
7/27/2016 23:16:17

Too many cheerleaders. What good is a revolution without vision. No mentions from Duterte on we can become a great nation. No mentions on how we will develop our own industries. Because without industries, we will never become a great nation, and will forever be poor. Solve the root of the problem. Increase education budget. Increase science and technology budget. Support startups. Support SMEs. Collect the taxes. Forget the old, support the young for they are the future.

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ruben tagalog
8/13/2016 05:17:12

What good is revolution without. Ito ay walang pingkaiba sa isang pangarap na walang aksyon..

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Ali Abdullah link
7/28/2016 09:40:29

This is a profound analysis of the Duterte administration from my favorite author. I have spoken to Filipinos who have travelled back to the Philippines since the changes and they said that it is a very pleasant experience.

I, as an American traveling to the Philippines to visit my family there, was the victim of a strong handed bribery scheme at the airport. It left a sour feeling in my heart because I love the Philippines and Filipinos. Travel there since then has been with caution instead of the euphoria I once felt. Now I am told that I can have that euphoria again.

I hope that the changes take hold in the hearts and minds of the people. Thank you F Sionil Jose for this critique and I will continue to spread your work.

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Daniel Obispo Desembrana
7/28/2016 18:15:05

Very quickly Duterte has planted himself in all of us who love our country. If he dies or gets killed, he already lives in us, and his fight will live on through us. He is showing us that bravery and caring is enough. Those evil in our land who only live to satisfy their greed will see their day of reckoning.

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Rebecca Neufeld link
7/28/2016 19:49:22

It behooves every Filipino to be part of Duterte's patriotic revolution and make it a success! This is a gift, a blessing, the first ever chance in hundreds of years of colonialism that we can finally realise our true potential. Let's all do our part!

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Suzette L Penaredondo
7/30/2016 14:05:15

doing our part is the only thing that could guarantee the "instituionalization" of this dutertevolution.

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Abi
7/30/2016 20:29:45

I doubt not the president's resolve and sincerity in addressing the problems of this country. But one thing he MUST understand, everything he wishes to fix - drugs, criminality, murder, rape -- the solution will take time. We are looking at problems that run deeper than, the faceless, unnamed ghetto dweller who peddles drugs by day and takes a hit of Shabu by night. There will ALWAYS be criminality so long as people are poor, uneducated, underpaid, and stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty-oppression-abuse-violence.

To eradicate drugs in 6 months? Not Gona happen President. There are not enough Bullets in this world to fix problems that run deep into the souls of 80 million people living beneath the poverty line.

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ruben tagalog link
8/13/2016 05:12:07

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Nina Sheen
8/21/2016 11:49:30

Excuse me po, i think poverty has nothing to do with crime and corruption. It is the mentality of the poor people that leads them to crime and the use of illegal drugs. The mentality that the government would solve their problems---including poverty and not helping themselves out. We lack that discipline and motivation in order to see that bright side of life to help ourselves, which is needed to support the nation, support the administration who motivates and is brave enough to face the real problems in our country one by one. 6 months is enough to eradicate crime and illegal drugs, if we help him fight hard enough.

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Nina Sheen
8/21/2016 11:56:12

*crime and illegal drugs

Pedro
8/1/2016 17:41:01

What an insight from our well respected National Artist, F. Sionil Jose. May you live many more years pa po!

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Loven C Abadia
8/5/2016 07:18:21

Manong Frankie, let me tell you the inside story of the airplane crash of Mt Pinatubo which claimed the lives of Pres Magsaysay and others. I will do this the next time we will have our conversation. Loven

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O.Romero Molina
8/21/2016 21:53:34

Great discourse! Kudos for your thought. Majority of us are in agreement, Otherwise, he (DU30) would never have been elected. As for the case of Pres.Marcos, he is willing to go along with the Supreme Court. "Libingan ng mg Bayani is for those entitled to it per our law.

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Bobbi jo domingo
8/22/2016 07:35:03

What revolution ? Duterte has admitted that when he was a prosecutor in Davao city he would create intrigue and then fabricate evidence. He brings the same techniques to the presidency. He brooks no criticism or disagreement from anyone. In fact I find it incredible that the president spends so much of his time on engaging in word wars with his critics. I wonder whether he spends any time in quiet reflection and thinking. The recently released budget reveals so much. That he is a simple man is not borne out by the 8 fold increase in the budget of the office of the president. His recent attack on de Lima just shows what a hypocrite the man is. This is not a man I would call a revolutionary. He has the makings of a megalomaniac, and the Philippines , a fascist state.

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Bobbi jo Domingo
8/22/2016 07:45:33

It is premature to hail Duterte a hero? By his very methods he encourages and strengthens the culture of impunity. The tactics he is using have been used by the likes of Stalin, pol pot, Mao ( the anniversary of Mao's cultural revolution quietly passed as the current Chinese sentiment is that it was a mistake ). They all had great causes they were espousing. All wanted to cleanse their societies of evils. History has judged them otherwise.

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A Quezon
9/4/2016 11:10:04

"The first weeks of the Duterte administration have already given us hope in several sectors -- in agriculture, in the welfare of our OFWs, in transportation, education, housing, telecommunications and services. And most of all, access to the very top for the aggrieved, and transparency of government transactions, long withheld by politicians and the powerful with secrets to hide."

These are all well and good but now 2 months into his presidency, 2,000 people (and counting) have been killed and a "state of lawlessness" has been declared. These events overshadow any positive improvements that the current administration has started and most of the victims are the poor whom he promised to protect. Is this so-called war on drugs a justifiable reason to skirt due process, trample on human rights and ignore the rule of law? Any human rights violation is an affront to the rights of all. The situation has instilled fear and uncertainty; the eventualities are resoundingly familiar.

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MARC K. COTABATO link
9/5/2016 22:03:54

may tagalog translation ba nito....para naman ipabasa ko sa aking mga mga mag-aaral...at para lubos nilang maiintindihan ang mga linya na naaayon sa kabutihan at kaayusan ng buong bayan...

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Paul Atienza
9/14/2016 06:55:33

Truly elucid. Great mind.

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Mark Lex Barrios
9/24/2017 02:29:54

What we have now is impunity of epic proportions.
This reality is so imposing that there is no other writing necessary.

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Mel
1/1/2019 10:33:03

Just read this. Did not exprct nothing less from F. Sionil Jose

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Giles link
12/17/2020 16:08:48

Interesting read thanks for sharing

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