History is littered with manifestoes of every shape and kind. From Valerie Solanas's S.C.U.M. Manifesto to Industrial Society and Its Future by Ted Kaczynski. Now we have The Duterte Manifesto to add to this illustrious literary tradition.
A very small blue booklet not unlike Mao's Little Red Book in form but very different in content.
The chapter titles read like Duterte's version of the ten commandments.
1. I cannot do this alone. This is our country. We must love our country. Period.
2. We are Filipinos before anything else.
3. We must be a peaceful nation.
4. Puro kayo rekalmo, e mutato kayong sumunod. Sumunod kayo, kundi, patayin ko talaga kayo. (You are always complaining, you should learn to obey. You obey, if not, I will really kill you all.)
5. Hindi ako nananakot, that's not a threat, pag sinabi ko gagawin ko talaga 'yan. (I am not threatening, that's not a threat, if I said it I will really do it.)
6. To my friends and relatives, I love you, but you can't ask any favour from me. Don't use me as your leverage.
7. I belive in love, yes. Forever, nah.
8. Don't fuck with my team.
9. Sinabi mo, gawin mo. Pag di mo napanindigan 'yan, ay....Patay-kang. Bata. Ka. (If you said it, you do it. If can't stand for it, ay you're a dead kid)
10. Itaga n'yo yan kung saan n'yo gustong itaga! Wala along pakialam. Basta gamin ko ang trabhao ka. (Carve it where you want to carve it! I do not care! Basta, I am going to do my job.)
These ten commandments are the themes and titles of each chapter. Thankfully the book is very short and not encumbered with a lot of highfalutin words or ideas since Duterte is a simple man of the people.
That page is from chapter one which is a collection of various quotes of which this is a representative sample. Does that sound like he can't do this alone?
This is a fun little section stuck between chapters 2 and 3. How would you describe Duterte with a movie title? Here is my contribution:
Prophetic. In January the Moros will be voting to establish an independent nation in Mindanao which will be called the Bangsomoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Next there is a section of tweets to Duterte with the identity of the sender. Why the would choose to include the twitter handles of these people is a mystery. Now they are open to harassment if anyone were of a mind to do so. Their first names would have been enough.
Chapter 4 ends with this quote and this picture.
When I said I'll stop criminality, I'll stop criminality. If I have to kill you, I'll kill you. Personally. I had to act decisively. Let me just say there were things which I had to do because I had to do them.
Now that we are two years into his term how does this promise hold up? Has criminality stopped? Has he personally killed anyone yet?
Chapter 6 has this sweet story from Duterte's daughter Sara when she was having trouble in her studies at law school. Excerpts:
I wanted to talk to a lawyer. I rarely talk to my father. We have a love-hate relationship and I can imagine Digong's surprise when told by his aide that I asked for him to call me.
When I heard his voice, I couldn't speak. every word disappeared in the surge of emotions. I could only cry. His first question was "asa ka (where are you)?" I howled like a wounded wolf. Then I sensed he was alarmed as he repeatedly asked me where I was.
At that point, I thought, he could be thinking I was raped.
But you see, I was dejected. I cried non-stop - like a dying dog.
I could hear the exasperation in his voice as he retorted: "The answers are not in your tears. Go back to your book!"
Yes! That was the very reason I wanted to talk to a lawyer - no comforting words, no baby bunny stories. I just wanted to listen to the heartless stop-crying-because-it-will-not-get-you-anywhere answer. I ended the call.
Very heartwarming.
Now for chapter 10 which is the meat of this book. This chapter is the blueprint to save the Philippines.
Hopefully you can zoom in and read Duterte's platform in detail. Here are the main headings.
1. Fight corruption
2. Stop criminality and illegal drugs
3. Reduce poverty
4. Solve hunger
5. Decongest traffic
6. Improve healthcare
7. Manage climate change
8. Beef up employment
9. Strengthen foreign relations
10. Make things right in Mindanao
After two years of Duterte has any of those things happened or come close to being accomplished?
That's it for the contents of the book. It's not exactly a serious manifesto but it does give us a glimpse into Duterte's mind. A more serious review from 2016 has this to say about The Duterte Manifesto:
Thankfully, “The Duterte Manifesto” does not in any substantial way resemble Chairman Mao’s “Little Red Book.” Though similar in physical size and page count, the contents of this handy collection of quotations from Duterte’s presidential campaign offer no ambitious ideological projects or political visions. Instead, the book celebrates the absence of politics, making an exceptional case for introducing to the government a number of social taboos, such as: the massacre of alleged criminals, the curious fragility of the Filipino male ego, and a possible return to a boisterous and empty nationalism. “The Duterte Manifesto” captures the president with his most memorable words; words that in both senses are sometimes shocking, sometimes confusing.
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/politics/2016/10/20/duterte-manifesto.html
Interestingly this book is published by one of Duterte's nemeses, ABS-CBN.
Remember Duterte threatened to not renew their license when it expires in 2020.
If you are interested in owning The Duterte Manifesto there might be a few copies of this book left somewhere. I bought mine back in June 2018 at Booksale at SM and it came with a 2016 calendar which means the second printing did not sell out.
At least the proceeds go to charity.
Or so they say!
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