Cabinet men, spineless jobseekers?

President Duterte’s hatred toward the United States is most horrifying (“Angry Duterte to US: Bye-bye America,” Front Page, 12/18/16). Admittedly left-leaning since his college days, this hot air just does not see the endless lines of Filipinos at the US embassy daily applying for visas to visit or to share the good life that millions of their kith and kin are now enjoying on the other side of the globe. Does he see longer lines of Filipino visa applicants at the Chinese and Russian embassies?

Duterte drools and is so “kilig” over the prospect of cementing stronger ties with China and Russia. Does he really think those two states are more trustworthy and less greedy than America? China is already eating up parts of Philippine territory. Russia is also bulldozing its way into neighboring territories which, like the Philippines, are helpless and powerless. Heaven help us if Mr. Duterte’s nonsensical rants should become reality!

It’s good to hear sobering words from his Cabinet men who correct or contradict him most of the time, saying the President doesn’t mean the things he says.  But whoa! No sooner than their spit reaches the ground, he goes up the podium again and repeats the same things he “doesn’t mean to say.” Ano ba talaga, mga kuya? These mental acrobatics of yours are driving the whole nation nuts.

Are the President’s men patriots or just spineless job-seekers who can find nothing better to do with their intellect?  When will they have the guts to say to the President’s face: Mr. President, we quit— speak for yourself.  That may be the only way to make him come to his senses—and, perhaps, get over his very deep resentment toward America, reportedly for having denied him a visa to visit his girlfriend there during his youth (seriously??).

MARITES DELA MERCED, [email protected]