Should Duterte have spoken about Obama so harshly? No!!

Should we worry about Pres. Duterte’s conduct during international gatherings? In a word, yes.

If this pattern of uncontrolled outbursts continues, it will start to rattle potential investors and tourists. It will create an image of instability. This, in turn, will affect the economy.

I avidly support the Duterte administration, but even I can’t listen to his press conferences because they are too stressful.

Did the media mis-translate Duterte’s statements about Obama? Yes. Was Duterte’s anger at Obama’s meddling justified? Yes. Should Duterte have spoken out against Obama so publicly and so explosively on the eve of the ASEAN Summit when they were scheduled to have bilateral talks? No.

It was a strategically stupid thing to do and I think he realized it, hence his statement expressing regret.

Have we not been through this cycle of outburst-apology, outburst-apology enough times already for Duterte’s communications team to realize that they should strictly limit his direct exposure to media?

Have they not realized up to now that the mainstream media will NEVER treat Duterte fairly, therefore they should stop letting him give press conferences where journalists can provoke him on purpose? Do they not see that the mainstream media do this to erode his political clout?

Those who say that Duterte should “learn to be more diplomatic” are not being realistic. He is too old to change. The only viable solution is to limit those press conferences to near-zero. They do far more harm than good. They create so many unnecessary controversies that take the government’s focus away from more important problems.

I defend Duterte when he’s right, but not when he’s wrong. It would be a disservice to him if we keep pretending that the status quo is okay.


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