Post-election thoughts

Okay, so you didn’t take my suggestion of voting for a Poe-Robredo ticket. We’re not going to make a big splash in the international press. Not yet anyway unless any of the new officers do something outstanding, which might still be possible. Our new President Rodrigo Duterte seems to be making a lot of decisions and interesting appointments. I will grant that it looks like things will change for us.

I like very much his promise of transparency. It would be interesting if he had a web page and a big screen at Malacanang giving a transparent accounting of something called “Gifts to the President.” It should record publicly all the funds sent to him that he didn’t ask for. Say P50 million from jueteng, P20 million from a businessman, P30 million from casinos. There should also be a running total. Whenever he feels he should dip into these funds for emergencies like Yolanda or even for the next elections. But he should always say so.

 This kind of transparency should give the people a true picture of where the funds are coming from and where they are going, a piece of information that everyone is entitled to in a democracy. Also if he is this transparent, it should shame his underlings into being at least as transparent. Then maybe there will be less corruption.

He talked about hanging drug dealers, which led to a lively discussion between my British grandson and me. My grandson was appalled. He’s going to kill people? For being drug lords or rapists, I said calmly.  But he doesn’t have to kill them, he said.

I remember when we had capital punishment. Rapists were sentenced to the electric chair, I said.

Did you agree with that? he wanted to know.

Yes, I said. They were rapists. They deserved to die. Then there was the drug dealer that Marcos shot by firing squad early one morning. After that the country was peaceful for a while. I have seen capital punishment at work. I think it had better results.

You’re my bloodthirsty grandmother, he accused.

Capital punishment works, I said, smiling sweetly. I was born before the time of activists or whatever you call yourself. I’m not bloodthirsty. I just believe in just punishment.

Is their being electrocuted or hung just? he asks, his eyes big trying to scare me.

The legal process is long and thorough. It doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when everyone is convinced they deserve punishment. And they are punished not just because of the atrocity they committed but to also tell the people who might be tempted to rape to better not do it or they will end up being publicly hanged. Have you seen a public hanging? I think their tongues hang out. All you need are a couple of hangings and these criminals will disappear. That’s my opinion, I say.

But Duterte has said during the STAR editors’ interview that it’s daughter Sara who will be his First Lady. However, Sara has said that she wants to focus on her job as Davao City's mayor-elect.

 He won’t have an Imelda Marcos to overspend and ruin him. Then I realized that Leni Robredo is a widow so maybe she can just assist him host Malacanang affairs. They should make a pair good enough at entertaining.

But yesterday morning when I woke up an idea popped into my head. Why doesn’t Duterte get a lady from the public to host with him every important event? She should be 60 years old or older. Maybe they should set up three tambiolos with the names of women from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who are qualified. Every time there is an important event, he draws a name from a region. She will be provided with a gown, hair and make-up, airline tickets and made to stay at a Malacanang guest house. She will come to the event and stand by him as he greets his guests and he should introduce her as his hostess (not hospitality girl) for the evening. He should not invite the same lady twice.

This would make him more charming to the women. It would strengthen his relationship with the women voters of this country. He has to correct his image with us. His runaway mouth sort of alienated us. But this act of getting a woman from the public to host a standard presidential event with him would strengthen his relationships with the women of this country. They would get their pictures in the newspapers with the President and raise their chins just a little bit higher. I’m sure their husbands won’t mind. Or better yet, the women must be single or widowed or separated. This idea is so great. I even managed to qualify myself.

What do you think? I think it’s a great idea. Will the new President dare? Let me tell you — if he does, his will definitely make the international press. And grow his coterie of women followers.

* * * 

Please text your comments to 0917-8155570.