Duterte Presidency ‘GREATEST CALL OF DUTY TO GOD AND COUNTRY’

By Manny Pinol

On my way to my hometown, M’lang, to join the Kawayanan Festival today, I received a message from a prominent Makati city political figure who has crossed swords with the powerful Binay clan for years now.

Former Makati Vice Mayor Bobby Brillante, a lawyer and former Binay ally who went to jail for libel following a series of scathing attack at then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, asked me to relay his message to Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte.

While I have not personally met Brillante, I have heard a lot of stories about him, both favorable and derisive some of which described him as having a “knock” in the head for assuming the persona of Don Quixote fighting the Binay windmill by his lonesome.

I found his message to Rody Duterte profound and sincere.

He asked me to tell Duterte that “He is our only chance to veer away from the road to perdition.”

“History will not forgive him if he turns his back on this greatest call of duty to God and country,” Brillante added.

I understood that line as a milder version of what Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo wrote in his column where he said that Duterte will commit an unpatriotic act if he refuses to listen to the calls of the people for him to run for President.

Brillante ended his message with a prayer that “May God enlighten his mind and bless him with wisdom like that of Solomon.”

He added in his message that he was willing to help in the campaign in Metro Manila should Rody Duterte decide to take up the challenge and run for President.

Brillante is one of the growing numbers of political leaders in the country who have realized that unless a leader untainted by issues of corruption and able to address the unabated criminality, the Philippines will go down the road to perdition.

They all see Duterte as the only hope.

Duterte, until today, however, has not made any commitment or even declared an intent to consider the Presidency.