Entschul-Digong

I was out to dinner the other night with two friends from Germany and our conversations led us to one of the topics that I don't frequently sound off about: POLITICS. My guests talked about the respective political atmospheres in their countries (the guy is a German; the girl an American) and naturally they asked me about the state of things in the Philippines as well.

They were curious about what it was like to have "this current president" rule over the country. I turned to my American friend and told her, "Our president is somewhat similar to your president: they're both very liberal with their use of words; they're controversy-magnets; and their selection as president polarized our respective nations."

My German friend asked if I thought President Duterte (Digong for short) was doing a good job at the helm of the Philippines. So I proceeded to tell my guests what I have seen on the "street level" and what I believe the president has done well in office to date:

- Curfew for minors was strictly observed a few days after he won the election.

- Drug pushers and addicts voluntarily surrendered a few weeks after that.

- The police force is getting (or got) a salary increase as an indication of how he values their role in keeping the peace.

- The media and the elite could no longer bully or manipulate the office of the president because the one occupying it has been put in office not by the wealthy few of the country, but by the lower class masses who have had enough of traditional, corrupt presidents who only fattened themselves and their pockets.

- The economy has improved greatly under Digong's term.

- And more importantly, for me, the President many times assured the people that he is out to serve all the Filipinos, not just a select few. He has often verbalized his apprehension of being the Chief Executive of the Republic, and that he feels like a father to all the Filipinos.

My American guest replied, "I see. Your president seems to be doing a good job then. Our president (Trump) seems to be undoing everything the former one had worked on building."

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Now, I am not overly familiar with US and Philippine political atmospheres, let alone politics in general, and this blog entry is not a political analysis of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's term in office.

What I do want to say is this: I know the President is not perfect. We all hear that from many of his soundbites (the Tagalog version of the F word frequently flies off his mouth). Fellow Filipinos have either loved him for being a radically different leader from those that have come before; or hated him for the same reason.

Regardless, perhaps we should take a look beyond the man's veneer and the output of his mouth, and more into the passion and output of his public service because despite his rough and rude exterior, the quality of governance he's put out so far speaks volumes of his sincerity to serve his countrymen (something I could hardly say of the last few presidents).

So, maybe excuse the President's foul mouth (which, to be honest, could use some improvements) and let him continue to do his job of cleaning up and building up the country?


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Entschuldigung is German for excuse me.