Something Stupid?

One reason I enjoy reading the Inquirer online every day is because there’s hardly a day that I don’t read a news item reporting President Duterte uttering or announcing something stupid. Here’s one of the latest: “Duterte to gift cop with trip to HK for killing ‘ninja’ boss in Dipolog drug bust” (11/6/18).

Of course, it’s only proper to give those who work for us timely recognition for an excellent job. But the normal way to acknowledge and show appreciation for a job well done (at least, in my own over 40 years of experience both in the military and civilian workplaces) is to award the worker, before his assembled coworkers, a letter of commendation—maybe (though not always) along with a gift card for a small amount.

But an unusual and hefty gift for doing the job the worker was hired to do in the first place? Is that a legitimate way of spending the people’s money? It doesn’t make sense, and it sounds stupid!

But then again, knowing Mr. Duterte’s penchant for pleasing the men in uniform at every opportunity, maybe it’s not stupidity at all.  He must surely know the growing impatience of the Filipino people at the worsening hardships (economic and otherwise) they have been experiencing from day one of his reign.  By trying to win the men in uniform over, Mr. Duterte hopes that, should worse comes to worst, they would be there to cover his butt, if only as a way of paying back.  That’s how slick and sly this President is.

JUANITO T. FUERTE, jtfuerte@comcast.net