I did not know the English writer and politician William Congreve, neither have I come across any of his works until I saw the scowling face of an otherwise beautiful Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio in the evening of November 23, 2024. The lights were reportedly put out in the office of Congressman Paulo Duterte within the supposed hallowed surroundings of the House of Representatives. It was in the congressman’s office where the vice president was uttering her tirades.
Even with the darkened background, it was clear that the number two highest official of our country spurted the kind of fighting statements totally unexpected of a woman of her dignified position. When she uttered unprintable expletives and even hurled threatening declarations, I remembered the line “hell knows no fury than the wrath of a woman scorned” which I used a number of times before. To be sure about the quote, I went to the internet and I read that the exact line is “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” and I found out for the first time that this was written by William Congreve.
Well, honestly speaking, I thought that profanity and words of violence were part of a language common in the Duterte household. I remember then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte having been quoted as cursing Pope Francis. I really felt indignant when he said “Pope, p***** *** ka, umuwi ka na. 'Wag ka nang magbisita dito.” which when partly translated would read Pope, you son of a bitch, etc.” Did not the Washington Post also quote former President Digong lashing at American President Barack Obama with the F word. If a Duterte could disrespect the head of the Catholic Church and the president of USA, it would not be surprising for another Duterte blood to say “f*** you” to our president.
Even if the profane has become common and ordinary Duterte language, and our countrymen seem to have been accustomed to this cursing, the words uttered by VP Carpio that amounted to some kind of a threat go beyond moral bounds. Those words of impunity were products of a dangerous criminal mind and they tend to wreak horrible social havoc. What did I hear from Vice President Carpio that evening? After replaying the FB video, I took down carefully and clearly her pronouncement. She said “Sinabi ko sa kanya, pag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta at si Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke”. I could not take her declaration in any other way but her revelation of having apparently contracted the services of an assassin to commit a planned murder.
BBM is President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. I might not have cast my ballot for him in 2022 for reasons of my own, as in fact, I believe that computerized fraud attended that election which put him in power. But, my goodness, he is our president. Until now, there is nothing to support my belief that fraud made him our chief executive. He therefore deserves the respect as our chosen highest government official. BBM is our citizen number one and nobody should threaten him even with the slightest harm or worse, murder. Especially not the vice president who stands to benefit from the demise of the president.
The Dutertes still have some followers, a fraction of whom are reportedly fanatical. Though their numbers are concededly diminished, they can still disturb our peace. The threats aired by the vice president could spawn further furor and might foment civil disorder and lawlessness. All police and security authorities must be mobilized to uphold the rule of law and for that end quell whatever evolving unrest that might be triggered by Carpio’s words and they should start by restraining the vice president, if not putting her in cuffs.