THE Opposition, as well as the Filipino intellectuals and
naïve millennials sympathetic to them, often adjudge Duterte supporters as a
nihilistic cult. Hopefully, they won’t be stuck in that thought. May they have
the foresight to put this passionate mass into great use.
They should begin by foregoing their criticisms of Duterte
that are mere remnants and permutations of their propaganda against him during
the 2016 elections. That’s why Duterte supporters surge like a wild wave
against them
election
season all over again. They are tired of that mudfest. They want to move
forward.
Also, perish the thought of
grabbing power from Duterte in any way, whether via coup d’état, nth version of
Edsa, or ICC-enabled regime change. You will not succeed with a victory you
could enjoy. You are only wasting Duterte, a rare concinnity of courage,
compassion, savvy, and iron will.
Be an Opposition with a
compelling vision rather than a loudmouth spewing political platitudes. In
other words: Be a Gina Lopez in a nation full of Leni Robredo. Though Lopez
isn’t part of the Opposition, she’s worthy of emulation by those who want to
translate their love for our country into action. Her passion comes with a
vision and a plan.
Remember the story of how she got
the job as environment secretary? Armed with a thoughtfully crafted
presentation, Lopez flew to Davao City, queued up to meet Duterte in the wee
hours, and when she finally met him, she persuaded him to stem the tide of
ecological destruction wrought by irresponsible mining. Sure, she can be too
zealous for her own good and to the detriment of her cause; but it’s also the
same verve prompting us to pay serious attention to how we manage our nation’s
ecological assets. The same stance which impelled Duterte to give her the power
to realize her vision and to back her up even if it would mean losing billions
from the mining industry.
Meanwhile, Robredo kept swamping
our country with stale political slogans, like the “war on poverty.” Every war
requires a strategy to achieve a purpose worthy of great resources mobilized in
its service. And of equal importance is an able general that leads his soldiers
to victory. Robredo has no riveting strategy, just a litany of emotional
appeals punctuated by a smile. She’s definitely not an adept general that could
lead her troops to win any war at all.
When she resigned as housing
czarina in December 2016, Robredo demonstrated that she’s the kind of general
who abandons the battlefield whenever her ego gets slighted by a setback. If
the housing needs of Filipinos were a great concern to her, she should have
mustered the diva in her, continued working, and proved to Filipinos that she
was indispensable in doing the job. While Lopez persists even in the face of
great resistance, Robredo gave up and became damsel in distress. She made
herself disposable.
Robredo is what has become of the
Opposition — unnecessary. And that’s dangerous.
No democracy thrives without an
Opposition. Besides being the government’s check-and-balance, the Opposition
provides the creative tension necessary to generate innovative policies. In
that sense, the Opposition is an indispensable other that stimulate the
administration to actualize its highest potential. But the Opposition to the
Duterte administration has become mostly an obstructive and destructive force.
Instead of being a source of creative tension, they have become a national
nuisance one can live without.
That shouldn’t be the case. The
Opposition should cease being a Leni Robredo, and start being a Gina Lopez. Time
to have a gripping vision with a plan. Present it with ardor. The passionate
mass of Duterte supporters might not accept what you say, but gaining
acceptance isn’t the goal. The goal is to provide the creative tension this
administration needs to keep itself on track in its quest to give every
Filipino a more comfortable life.
Source:
Sass Rogando Sassot @ Manila
Times (Original Article: http://www.manilatimes.net/gina-nation-full-lenis/323080/)
Disclaimer: The above article does not reflect the VIEWS and OPINIONS of Partners for Change Philippines.
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