Threat to democracy

MANILA

It was only a matter of time before President Rodrigo Duterte’s pugnacious ways and dictatorial bent would eventually make him a global pariah.

And now word comes from Daniel Coats, head of US Intelligence, that Duterte is a “threat to democracy in Southeast Asia.” So, are Messrs. Trump and Duterte still friends?

From the start of Duterte’s term, he inexplicably went on rants against Western leaders and organizations. Duterte cursed then US President Barack Obama, the then head of the United Nations, and other foreign leaders. Pope Francis got his share of Duterte’s favorite curse word during the 2016 presidential campaign here.

I had warned then that in the West, leaders who speak in “colorful language,” as Obama had put it, are often seen as mad men. Examples from recent history include Fidel Castro of Cuba, Idi Amin of Uganda, father-and-son Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier of Haiti, Manuel Noriega of Panama, and Muammar Ghadafy of Libya.

Mr. Duterte’s language has been particularly abominable. His sexist remarks make even he-men blush. Can you imagine saying that he should have been first in line to rape an Australian missionary? When the Australian ambassadress protested she, too, received a bouquet of swear words.

That behavior wasn’t the exception, it was the norm. The stream of obscenities was unstoppable. The world is not blind or deaf to such crudeness, especially in this age of instant communication. The man with 1,001 obscenities became an instant sensation.

Duterte’s people took it as a sign of celebrity when foreign leaders and groupies wanted selfies taken with him. They celebrated that as his coming-out in global affairs. They applauded their boss’ antics as if he had won a Nobel Prize.

Meanwhile, extrajudicial killings (EJKs) became a byword, its initials entered the popular lexicon. In their first-year list of accomplishments, Mr. Duterte’s myrmidons even included the EJKs here as one of their proud achievements. The International Criminal Court (ICC) took notice.

One man’s endearment is another man’s indictment. Atty. Jude Sabio went to the ICC, backed up later by legislators Sonny Trillanes and Gary Alejano. The ICC has started a preliminary examination.

In the early days, Duterte’s people must have taken the general silence here and abroad as timidity. They were riding high as the cursing sprees continued. That further emboldened the spokespeople and the police. They were the toast of the town.

But, now nearing its two-year mark, the administration has noticed that, despite the general silence, there’s been movement. The ICC has been paying attention. And those who had been cursed are done nursing their pride. Now they’re showing that they didn’t appreciate being cursed.

And so recently, Mr. Duterte and his people have toned down their rhetoric. They expressed regret over the EJKs. Instead of boasting to fatten the fish in Manila Bay with drug suspects’ bodies, they’re now saying there were no direct orders to kill, kill, kill. But Trillanes says it’s all on video.

The United States has declared Mr. Duterte as a threat to democracy. That’s where things stand at the moment. What’s next?

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