Sometimes, I think that Filipinos are too shallow and
starstruck to make democracy work in this country. This is no more evident in the uptrend of the
twitter hashtag “#dubredo”. This hashtag refers to the tandem of
Philippine President Rodrigo DUterte
and Vice President Leni RoBREDO.
All this arose after the first meeting of the newly inaugurated
heads of state and the pair were photographed looking very comfortable with one
another, Leni Robredo in particular looking very giggly—like a schoolgirl in
the presence of her crush.
🎶😍💞💑 #Dubredo it is! Haha. pic.twitter.com/t0LRctvTyP"Coz there's something in the way you look at me"
Later, more “shipping”
happened when Duterte asked Robredo if she wanted to head the Housing and Urban
Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). Twitter was literally blowing up with #Dubredo memes.
What kind of people have we become that we let this
touchy-feely, kilig-ness affect our
national consciousness? Makes me question
the sort of logic “Dubredo” voters applied last May 9.
More disturbing is how this shipping is somehow worthy
of being featured in the news. Did
Duterte’s boycott of the Media reduce them to reporting mush? Or is it because the persons allied with the
Liberal Party are fighting to keep their party relevant in the new
administration? One would think that the
media, in the face of the criticism arrayed against it by Duterte would strive
to report on things of greater substance than kilig-ness mush.
All this may just seem like harmless fun, but I can’t
help but think that there is a darker side to all this. It is no secret that Duterte and Robredo come
from opposing political parties, and that there is actual enmity between
them. During the election campaign,
Robredo would go along with her running mate Mar Roxas’ negative portrayal of
Duterte as a dictator and would spread black propaganda. Some have also theorized that former
president Fidel Ramos put some pressure on Duterte to give Robredo a position
in his cabinet. Duterte, in turn,
complied but just offered the HUDCC, a post that has been held by the past two
Vice Presidents and is a fairly low-key post.
Duterte is probably hoping that that Robredo just
stays quiet in the post he gave her. It is
well known that the Vice President in the Philippine system has no role apart
from existing for the purpose of succession in case of the President’s death or
incapacity. It appears that the media is
not going to let that happen. They have just
found their new darling.
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