Who’s afraid of Duterte? OLIGARCHS, BIG BUSINESS SHAKING IN THEIR BOOTS

By Manny Piñol

You have to hear it to believe it.

In the jostle during an ambush interview with presidential frontrunner Rody Duterte following the April 26 release of a soldier captured by Communist guerrillas, a reporter of a major TV network asked: “Sir, will you withdraw if Mar Roxas could prove there is Philhealth in Davao City?”

It was weird because all the other reporters were asking for Duterte’s reaction to the beheading by the Abu Sayyaf of a Canadian hostage and his announced ceasefire with the New People’s Army when he becomes President.

I met the reporter an hour later in an eatery in Makilala, North Cotabato, about 10 kilometres away from the village where the army soldier was released and I asked him why he posed that question.

“Utos ng (news) desk sa Manila. Pinapatanong,” he told me.

That statement validated my earlier suspicion that this giant network is really supporting administration candidate Manuel Roxas III.

You could notice it in the way they highlight the news about Duterte.

Recently, this same network came up with a series of stories saying that the stock market is jittery and that the Philippine peso sank because of the prospect of a Duterte presidency.

Reports from other mainstream media also painted a gloomy picture of the country’s foreign relations under a Duterte Presidency and the possible loss of thousands of jobs abroad.

What do these scare tactics manifest?

The Oligarchs and the big business are shaking in their boots.

They do not want change in the status quo. They are enjoying life as it is now, never mind if the ordinary Filipino faces the ever growing problems of drugs and criminality.

They do not care if the Filipino worker is an eternal slave to big companies who do not want to give them the benefits that they deserve.

For them, Duterte is a threat to the perks and the benefits that they enjoy now and this political maverick must be stopped.

But they have a problem.

With just a little over a week before the elections, the Filipino people seem to have made a decision on who to vote for and that is Duterte.

“The top three issues are one, poverty and jobs; two, peace and crime, especially drugs; and three, corruption and government services,” says Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Philippine advocacy group Institute for Political and Electoral Reform. “Duterte appeals to the frustration and despair of ordinary people on government actions regarding their lives. He promises quick action.”

This was the analysis of Ramon Casiple, a good governance advocate.

The Oligarchs and the Big Business do not care about these issues.

For them, Duterte means rocking the boat and it could be detrimental to their interest.

That is why most of the mainstream media, owned and controlled by the Oligarchs and Big Business are moving heaven and earth to derail the ascension to the Presidency of a politician they could not control.

So, the strategy is to destroy Duterte, paint him as somebody who will allow Communism to thrive in this country, who will result in an economic meltdown and who destroy the country’s relations with its allies.

They are deathly scared and they would like the hoi polloi, the Filipino masses to be afraid too.

They have a problem though – the Filipinos are so desperate that they are willing to bite the bullet.

As those who are willing to stand up to these scare tactics and the bullying say – “Matagal na gaming takot.”

They can no longer scare the Filipino people.

(Photo credits. All photos downloaded from the Facebook pages of Duterte supporters.)