The Inquirer news item headlined “Duterte: I once threw man from helicopter” (News, 12/30/16) has not drawn any comment from the newspaper’s columnists or contributors. Much less was there a public reaction to it.
Does this mean that by its silence, it can be said that the citizens approve of that criminal act?
Last month, a television station reported that Pulse Asia’s recent survey disclosed that President Duterte had an approval rating of 83 percent. Maybe a survey should also be conducted to determine how many percent of the populace favors such act of the President as among the means to rid the country of criminality.
Perhaps not only the matter of President Duterte having “once hurled a Chinese man suspected of rape and murder out of a helicopter” (quoted from the article) should be subjected to a survey. There are equally important concerns like his leaning toward Russia and China and his veering away from the United States.
And with the President’s indulgence, let there be a survey, too, on whether or not his manner of wearing barong Tagalog—upper part not buttoned and sleeves rolled up even in formal occasions—is acceptable to Filipinos.
It does not make Mr. Duterte any less the president of our country if we, his subjects, express our collective views on what he has done, what he is doing and what he intends to do.
EFREN C. CARAG, Parañaque City