President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte will not accept the position of anti-drug czar that’s being offered to him by president-elect Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr., according to his former spokesman, Salvador Panelo.
As his long-time friend, I would also have advised Digong against accepting the offer.
It’s time for Digong to hang up his gloves; time for him to retire and enjoy his time with his grandchildren and friends.
I would want to see Digong shooting the breeze with his close friends and talking about his experiences when he was the leader of the nation.
Ordinary folks would love to see Citizen Duterte in their midst sharing jokes with them for which he is known.
Digong is the only president in the country who has maintained his survey ratings even as he is about to step down. His predecessors would get low ratings as their term ended.
His high popularity ratings are a testament to how much the poor people love him.
Digong’s popularity with the masses has seeped down to his daughter Sara who got more votes as vice president than standard-bearer BBM.
One of Digong’s secrets with the masses is that he speaks their coarse language and understands their way of thinking. He is truly a populist leader.
I remember an anecdote about him that easily connects him with the masa.
Digong – that’s what the ordinary folks in Davao City called him when he was mayor, although he would prefer to be called Rody – rode his motorcycle into a poor section of the city. A gorgeous German mestiza (not his wife) rode astride.
A crowd gathered around Digong and the woman.
As mayor of the city, he would show up in his big bike or car in unlikely places and talk with residents.
Digong would sometimes masquerade as the taxi driver to ride around the city in the wee hours in search of cops sleeping on the job or criminals looking for people to rob. Cab drivers, as we all know, are easy prey to robbers.
Many times, he would ask his cab passengers – who didn’t recognize him – what they thought about their mayor and those under him at the City Hall. That was his way of knowing the pulse of the people up close and personal.
Anyway, back to that place in the city where a crowd milled around Mayor Duterte and this very attractive woman.
One of the men in the crowd commented that his partner, who was wearing shorts, had very smooth thighs. There was lust in the man’s eyes.
Digong told the man, “Hikapa, pero hikap lang ha (touch it but that’s as far as you can go),” to the loud protest of the woman. “Bastos ka, Rody, bantay ka lang unya (You’re so gross. You’ll see, I’ll deal with you later).”
I remember the times in the past that I would go to Davao City because he wanted a friend to shoot the breeze with. We would talk for hours in a carinderia that serves lechon manok. The guy has simple tastes when it comes to food, which he has brought to Malacañang. I’m sure some of his guests would complain silently about the simple food served at the presidential table.
In those times I would be introduced to women who, he whispered, were his girlfriends. Some of them would later be appointed to key positions in the Duterte administration.
In one of those few instances I commented about the looks of one of the women who tagged along. “Maut man ang iyang nawong, bai. Daghan kag guwapa nga uyab, ngano kana siya ang gipaila-ila nimo nako (She’s not good looking, my friend. You have many pretty girlfriends, why did you have to introduce me to her)?” Of course, I made that comment when the woman went to the restaurant lavatory.
Another woman who followed him to the carinderia came all the way from Manila. She had a fair complexion and pleasant face. Digong said she was an undersecretary.
“Unsay tan-aw nimo sa iya, Mon, guwapa no (What do you think of her, Mon, she’s beautiful, no)?”
Yes, I agreed, but then when she opened her mouth she had a shrill voice. Her voice didn’t match her looks. Even now, as an official in the Duterte administration, this woman hardly faces the media probably because she wants to be seen, not heard.
In the few times I failed to drop by to see him when I visited my hometown Manay in Davao Oriental, Digong would express feigned hurt when I saw him again.
Once, I told him that I was on my way to Mati, capital of Davao Oriental, to condole with the family of a close friend, former Gov. Francisco “Paking” Rabat.
Digong said he would come with me as Paking was also his friend. We rode a helicopter to Mati and landed near the town hall.
After condoling with the Rabat family, Digong left but told me he would have me fetched by the same helicopter in the morning.
There are many stories that I would want to talk about, but I would be violating the canon of good taste in this broadsheet.
As I’ve been saying, I’ll visit him in Davao City in his retirement years as often as he would want me to.
I welcome those days when I would banter with him, which I couldn’t do in the Palace in deference to his high office.
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Man to woman in a bar: Can I buy you a drink?
Woman: Sorry, but alcohol is bad for my legs.
Man: Do they swell?
Woman: No, they spread.