STRIKING an avuncular, even fatherly, pose, President Duterte declared Thursday night (8:55-9:42 p.m.) on a simulcast from Malacañang, “This is not martial law.”
The rhetoric was slanted toward the young and idealistically rebellious, even those without memories of the Martial Law of President Marcos in 1972: “Avoid trouble with the law. Stay home and study.” Having been a student himself once upon a time, he said he didn’t believe that all who’ll be out of school will stay home, now that classes have been suspended until April 12. Better than going to a bar, “just stick with your phones until you graduate” or buy new ones to play with.
Nonetheless, those who’d die if they did not get out of the house should be reassured and cautioned in the same breath: “Why don’t we just dance. I don’t want to interfere with your enjoyment of life, but the police and military have their orders to keep the peace and order. . . Disobedience is punishable by law, and if anyone gets hurt, that becomes a crime.”
On that still vague order banning travel to and from Metro Manila by land, sea, and air, the President rued that as there was “no solution in sight” to combat COVID-19, he had to assuage the people’s fears, including their fear of men in uniform. “They’re your soldiers.”
Alternating between sounding like a commander in chief and a doctor of public health, Mr. Duterte praised Senator Bong Go, who sat right next to him like a Cabinet member, for working hard, then he warned barangay captains against falling down on their job, now that it’s up to them to monitor their barangays. Outside Metro Manila, local executives may use their discretion to suspend classes, though not for “trivial or stupid reasons.”
Uttering the p.i. cussword to condemn the globetrotting virus, the President implied he would rather solve a Filipino problem than being faced with a germ that weakens the body and levels up to a WHO Code Red. When he appealed for the people’s cooperation, he was almost apologetic, “Let’s help each other. This crisis is real. Okay?”
Whereupon, the government channel cut and segued instantly to regular programming, Lotto winners, without a summary in news form. Such is life.
