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.
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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.
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Joshua Bartolome
7/28/2016 21:28:38
How exactly did Duterte coddle Macapagal-Arroyo?
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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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."
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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."
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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!
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7/27/2016 11:46:45
Salamat! for sharing Sir F.Sionil Jose.
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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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7/27/2016 12:38:52
I sensed the revolution coming. Thank you for publicly acknowledging it.
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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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7/27/2016 15:26:41
Reaction to “The Duterte Revolution” By F. S. Jose, With All My Respect
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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.
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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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7/27/2016 18:07:55
Mr. Sionil-Jose,
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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.
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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.
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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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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.
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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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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.
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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."
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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.
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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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