Ruffy Magbanua
HIS natural comic flair makes him alive and kicking. He throws antics and ad libs even in the most formal setting like the recently concluded State of the Nation Address (Sona).
At 71, President Rody Duterte cracks jokes in between serious functions and meetings, his only weapon perhaps to brighten up the day in finding solutions to the nation’s titanic woes–verily not for the fainthearted.
A classic case was during the NSC meeting where he called Leni Robredo as beautiful Vice President. Duterte’s jokes and ad libs in the five-hour convergence of former presidents had lighten the atmosphere, from serious to funny, shepherding the discussions with his profound thought process and candid inputs.
Before he decided to settle in Bahay Pangarap now called Bahay Pagbabago, the President reiterated over time his fear of ghosts in Malacanang, saying he was not comfortable sleeping with spirits.
If God has a sense of humor, Duterte has his way too of making people laugh in the midst of national crisis–serious at one moment and funny the next.
His critics presumably find his jokes nasty albeit obscene and sometimes scandalous, yet people love to hear those ad libs, very original, candid and outspoken as it were.
During the election campaign, Duterte even joked he will jetski to the South China Sea to plant the Philippine flag there. The folowing day, a national broadsheet carried an editorial cartoon showing Duterte jetskiing on the waters of the disputed islands in the South China Sea!
This Duterte joke drew mixed reactions from netizens, and perhaps one of the ad libs that catapulted Duterte to Malacanang.
His knack on ad libs gave him the edge over his political opponents, even outpacing the charismatic Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
The President’s sense of humor appears to serve as his weapon to stay on course in the fight against illegal drugs, corruption in government and restoration of the law and order within three to six months.
He pokes fun at himself as well. During his recent visit at a military camp in Davao, the President flaunted he has two wives occupying his left and another on the right.
At one time, the President made the ire on the national press by his sharp side comments on media killings that eventually killed his “honeymoon” with the Manila media.
With all its enigmatic outcome, his humor is seen to buoy up the President to uncover more scandals, corruption and ineptitude of people in government in the next 100 days and beyond.
He has a soft heart for women, too; his charisma oozing with that manly appeal only a few of his age could still make a mark of adulation from his legion of female supporters, young and old alike.
Even his No. 1 nemesis, Sen. Leila de Lima, had good words on him during the Sona. Acting like a true gentleman, Duterte offered a hand to de Lima but not without returning a childish, skimpy grin. His body language says it all.
With his trademark rolled up barong sleeves, he shows a lot about him being the man of action–the working President look!
Duterte may go down in history not only as the tough-talking President but as a leader who rises above it all by cracking jokes and throwing ad libs the unorthodox way, and at the same time finding solutions to the worries of the State.
With mega problems whacking the country, a Duterte humor is indeed needed to lighten up the day.
E-mail: ruffy44_ph2000@yahoo.com
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