Rude Rody vows metamorphosis

But only when he assumes presidency on June 30

MANILA, Philippines - From caterpillar to butterfly.

The end is near for president-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s foul mouth and uncouth behavior, as he promised to metamorphose into a “butterfly” come June 30 when he assumes office as the 16th president. of the country.

The president-elect has been criticized for his gutter language and his rudeness, but these would be history after his inauguration – if he is to be believed.

“I am now still a caterpillar and by then, when I take oath as president, I will become a butterfly,” Duterte said when asked how he would conduct himself before the public by June 30.

But until he becomes the country’s chief executive, Duterte would still be his usual “unpresidential” self – frank, brash and irreverent. 

“I’m not the president. You wait. I’m really a rude person. I’m enjoying my time as a rude person,” Duterte said when asked to react to criticisms that his behavior is “unbecoming” of a president.  

“When I become president, when I take my oath of office, if you want a conduct more in keeping with the dignity of the office, that’s a different story,” he added.

When asked if the public would see a different Duterte after June 30, the incoming president said, “Yes, it will be a metamorphosis.”

He stressed he does not need any makeover or any image consultant to help him comport himself in keeping with his new responsibility as president of the country.

“You take me as I am and that is the way that I am,” he said. 

Duterte went on to talk calmly in straight English, something he does not usually do in his long and winding late night press conferences. 

“Ladies and gentlemen of the media who are here, you know, when I get to be president, I have to tone down my cursing, that would be past,” he said. “I have to concentrate more on what happens to the country and make it (progressive). There are a lot of things I have to do.”

Duterte then discussed the need to reach out to communist rebels and to Nur Misuari, the founder of the Moro National Liberation Front, who is facing rebellion charges for the 2013 Zamboanga siege.

“When I come back, I would address you in a very polite manner. Do you have any question for me?” Duterte said, drawing laughter from reporters.

Duterte said in an earlier interview that he should not be taken seriously if his statements are preposterous or ridiculous.

When asked if he is being serious or preposterous, Duterte replied: “I’ll tell you how I would behave. I said there’s going to be a metamorphosis of the mind. From a caterpillar, it blossoms to a butterfly.” But after delivering the sound bite, Duterte promptly returned to his old self. “Tumahimik kayo diyan (You shut up),” he said in jest. 

His Thursday press briefing again stirred controversy when he gave GMA-7 reporter Mariz Umali a wolf-whistle while she was asking a question about his Cabinet appointees.

The incident, which was broadcast on nationwide television, earned the ire of various groups, including Umali’s husband, fellow journalist Raffy Tima.

“Catcalling my wife is wrong on so many levels,” Tima said on a Facebook post. “Some jokes are funny and should be laughed at, but disrespecting women is definitely not one of them.”

But the president-elect stressed that he was merely exercising his freedom of expression.

“You know, you don’t have any business stopping me. That is a freedom of expression,” he said as he was pressed for response by Rappler reporter Pia Ranada Robles.

“But I would say, who gave you the right to presume that I was whistling because I saw you? You have to be in a room, kaisa ka lang (alone), a man and you, and he would whistle,” he said.  “Whistling is not a sexual thing,” he argued.

In a series of tweets, Duterte ally outgoing Sen. Pia Cayetano said she does not condone the incident.

“I support the president but I do not agree with the whistling,” she said. “I don’t condone catcalling. Period.”

Catcalling is banned under City Ordinance 5004 or the Women Development Code of Davao City, signed by Duterte in 1997.

“Cursing, whistling or calling a woman in public with words having dirty connotations or implications which tend to ridicule, humiliate or embarrass the woman,” read part of the ordinance that identifies forms of sexual harassment.

Not worried

Reacting to a call by the Reporters Without Borders for local media to boycott him, Duterte said he was not at all worried and even dared reporters not to cover him.

“You can all get out and do not ever come back to Davao City anymore. I do not need you,” he said, referring to Manila-based journalists.

He said journalists “think too much of themselves.”

“Don’t think you’re the only field of purity,” he said. “I can lose the presidency, my life, my honor. Just don’t f… with me,” he added.

“As a matter of fact, I’m challenging you guys: Kill journalism. Stop journalism in this country. If you are worth your salt, you should accept the challenge. Pag hindi, mababa na ang tingin ko sa inyo. Para kayong takot (If not I will look down on you. You look scared),” Duterte said.  

An alliance of local journalists said the boycott call was unnecessary and should not be followed.

“As for your dare to boycott you, we are very sorry but we will not, cannot, indulge you. That is like telling the doctor not to take care of the sick,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said.

“Besides, it was not a call made by the Philippine media, for while we may have our differences, as we have had with past presidents, it has never occurred to us to abdicate our duty, which is to keep watch on government and help ensure it does right by the governed and to scrutinize and ask the hard questions,” it added.

Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas chairman Herman Basbano also said a boycott should not be a response to Duterte’s statements against the media.

“We have a job, we will not abandon our jobs just because someone said something bad about us,” he told ABS-CBN News in Filipino. “I don’t think that should be an option.”

Duterte resumed his attacks on the media Thursday night following his earlier statements on media killings.

The incoming president drew criticism after he justified media killings by saying most of the victims had been engaged in corrupt activities.

No justification

In its statement, the NUJP stressed that nothing could ever justify murder.

“We agree that it is not within your powers to provide each and every one of us security, nor did it ever occur to us to ask you to. But what we do expect, and what each and every Filipino deserves, is that government care enough to build a social atmosphere that ensures that murder is not resorted to as a means to redress grievance,” said the group.

“And if, unfortunately, it does happen, this should not go unpunished. While you do not have control over the courts, it is perfectly within your powers to spruce up the agencies doing investigative and prosecutorial roles, which are key in the search for justice,” he added.

Meanwhile, professors and students of the University of the Philippines Journalism Department also criticized Duterte for his statements.

“Contrary to his misinformed and malicious statements, a majority of the slain journalists were killed in their attempt to expose corruption and crime in their communities. Thus, Duterte’s statement is unwarranted, unjust and irresponsible, coming from the soon to be head of state,” read the statement.

“We cannot simply accept that Duterte was again ‘misinterpreted’ in his statement on journalist killings. His words were plain enough for all audiences to understand,” it added.

“We call on Duterte to retract his statement that many journalists are killed because they are corrupt or unethical. We call on him as the next president to set an example in honoring and upholding press freedom.”

Meanwhile, Emeritus Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said a common friend of his and Duterte has asked him to keep quiet to let the tension between church officials and the next leader die down.

Cruz said that during his recent meeting with the person, whom he did not identify, he agreed not to issue any comment so “there will be peace.”

However, the prelate told his friend that he also hopes that Duterte would refrain from issuing vicious comments.

But last Thursday evening, during his press conference, Duterte again mentioned that he was molested by a priest and even called Cruz an “idiotic bishop” for suggesting that he should file a case.

Duterte explained that he could no longer file a complaint because the prescribed period for the filing has already lapsed.

The archbishop, who is regarded as a Canon Law expert, said he was not aware that the molestation took place when Duterte was still young.

“I did not know it was of that age because if you fail to accuse somebody within a prescriptive time you may not accuse him anymore.

“I do not think that it is also fair that I keep quiet so that the public who heard these things would know what it is all about… I do not want to be quiet just like that. We will appear like a bunch of stupid fools,” said Cruz.

He added that it was not his intention to malign the Davao mayor. “I just want to correct some statements he made… The church can never be a hypocrite because it was founded by Christ 2,000 years ago.”  – With Edith Regalado, Janvic Mateo, Evelyn Macairan