Not anymore a laughing matter

In the songs recorded in the early years of my generation, the singers’ voices were not drowned by the sounds of musical instruments. We could hear the whole vocal range of such vocalists as Jerry Vale and John Gary, with instrumentation only in the background. I even learned that Frank Sinatra would not perform unless accompanied by a full orchestra, an ensemble of at least 32 pieces. But then, the orchestra functioned only as accompaniment and Sinatra’s crooning was clearly heard.

The other day, I played some vinyls to relive the glory era of recorded music. One album I got from my small collection was “The Best of Bee Gees.” When I heard the song “I Started a Joke,” it was not the picture of Barry Gibb that came to mind. Rather, it was of President Rodrigo Duterte speaking to the nation in his two late appearances. I remembered him because in those two events, he joked, and, in the words of the Gibb brothers, started (the whole Filipino world) crying.

The first joke. As he came home from the ASEAN Summit, he must have heard of the dismay some among us felt when he missed some functions of the summit. We noticed his embarrassing absence from the line of world leaders posing for posterity. Some quarters speculated he was there for medical reasons and the summit was but a convenient cover. However the criticisms were articulated, they done not out of disrespect but for his failure to honor an international commitment.

As it came about, he explained that he used marijuana to keep up with the dizzying array of activities. As usual, he spoke partly extemporaneously. Deviating from the prepared speech, he committed a Freudian slip. His audience was stunned. What? He took marijuana? Even if taking an illegal drug to stay awake was a probably acceptable explanation, he admitted having done something criminal.

In a subsequent scene, he tried to take away the sting. He said that he was just joking. Differently viewed, he did not take marijuana, he just took his people for a fool.

The second joke. Few days ago in a public address, he declassified what could be confidential information. He said that Daanbantayan Mayor Loot was ambushed not by the police but by men acting upon order of former senator Mar Roxas. In a span of few days, he stunned the people. His virtual accusation of Roxas being a criminal was libelous, although he is immune from suit, during his term.

The other day, Atty. Salvador Panelo attempted damage control. Conscious that the rabid Duterte supporters could still believe in the revelation, Panelo anticipated the truth would plunge Duterte’s credibility further down. Panelo knew Duterte was again inventing a malicious and false story. He told the public that Duterte was only joking when he accused Roxas of ordering the assault on Loot. I don’t remember the exact statement of Panelo but he said Duterte was just being his playful self.  As the highest officer of the country, Duterte’s declaration must be the epitome of truth and fairness. It is his duty to make sure his speech carries utmost decency. This does not mean that he cannot crack jokes anymore but in very sensitive matters he cannot be a jester.