Pres. Rodrigo Duterte just delivered his State of the Nation Address for 2019 and it was one big rambling fest. We’re not even exaggerating—he spoke for an hour and 34 minutes and basically went off-script to rant and say he wanted to kill people for most of it.
Take note that he was also an hour late for the SONA and then gave a semi-substantial speech in return. But hey, at least the “SONA bingo” players had fun crossing off keywords and also taking shots every time our president cursed or threatened to kill someone. You know, (ab)normal Filipino stuff.
In case you missed this year’s SONA (or you just stopped listening halfway through), we’re here to give you another roundup of things Duterte said that made us go not only “Huh?,” but also “WTF?”
Calling for death penalty for illegal drug use and plunder
Duterte did not pull the stops in the first half of his speech. He immediately talked about the drug problem in the Philippines and later said he wants to push for the death penalty for drug-related crimes and plunder. He recounted the 2017 Marawi siege, saying that it wounded 2,000 of his soldiers and policemen in the five-month battle. He also claimed there were “tons of shabu worth millions of pesos” found in the city.
Is the death penalty too much as punishment for these crimes? Absolutely. Even former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo—who were both convicted of plunder—were trying so hard to smile through it.
All the threats
Duterte made several threats to government officials and workers, saying he’ll either kill or beat them up if they don’t do their jobs right. It’s ironic because, fast forward a few minutes later, he emphasized, “There’s a time to antagonize.” Yeah, tell that to yourself.
No wealthy friends
Duterte strongly claimed, “Wala akong kaibigang mayaman.” (I have no wealthy friends.) We’re not going to list all of your best Judies, Mr. President, but we’re pretty sure you’ve expressed your support to the Marcoses numerous times.
Duterte knows his figures of speech
The president took a dig at the people who report on what he says, claiming that they don’t get what he means. He then said he uses “similes, metaphors, and hyperboles” to express himself like any human being.
I guess what he’s trying to say is he’s just being “poetic” when he’s telling rape jokes, ordering soldiers to shoot women in the vagina, and telling PMA cadets he’ll pardon them of rape. Yeah, that might be it.
Oh, the sexism
It ain’t a Duterte speech without a sexist comment, and he managed to sneak one during his SONA. While talking about the restoration of Boracay, he invited men to visit and look at the sunbathing women on the beach. Seriously, how gross can you be?
His confusing statements on China and the West PH Sea
Duterte has been criticized multiple times for his lax treatment on the West Philippine Sea dispute. The most recent being his dismissal of a maritime accident where Filipino fishermen fell into the sea after a Chinese vessel hit their boat.
In one part of the SONA, Duterte said he’s taking a diplomatic route because he doesn’t want a war between the Philippines and China. He also claimed, “I won the property (West PH Sea). But we are not in control of the property”—it’s basically implying we’re renting our own territory from the Chinese.
Later on, he said the West PH Sea is ours and it’s internationally recognized. “The West Philippines (sic) is ours. There is no ifs and buts.”
My head hurts trying to make sense of this.
Water shortage in Davao
Duterte gave an anecdote on a time there was a three-day water shortage in Davao. He said he disliked it because his girlfriend “would smell like hell” and that they waited for the water to come back so he can bathe her.
We didn’t need to know that, but okay… The welfare of other people who couldn’t clean their houses or drink didn’t seem to be a big deal for him. Shame.
Wanting a comfortable and better life for Filipinos
Towards the end of his SONA, Duterte drove his point that he’s going to give Filipinos a comfortable life in the last three years of his presidency. But how can he do that when the drug war is affecting the poor, the TRAIN Law benefits the wealthy, and you didn’t even tackle pertinent laws like the SOGIE Equality Bill (for the second year in a row!) in his SONA?
Photo courtesy of Inquirer.net/Robinson Niñal Jr.
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