The feisty lady mayor of Davao City reveals her independent mind and political savvy in a Facebook post that rubs top officials up the wrong way. But Sara is only saying, 'This is me, I say what needs to be said.'
WITH just one post in the Official Facebook Page of Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, the frontrunner in most surveys among presidentiables revealed the strength and grit of her character.
Recent family and regional developments tested Sara's political mettle and if we may -- patience -- that prompted her to say a rather searing piece on social media.
To avoid being misunderstood, we quote here in full what Sara Duterte-Carpio officially said:
"I would like first, to apologize to my mother for this statement. Second, I ask the nation to read my message from the point of view of a politician and nothing else.
1. The President, very recently, personally confirmed to me that he will run for Vice President and Senator Go as President. It was not a pleasant event. I was left with two letters endorsed to me by the President for consideration -- one note explained why I should endorse the Go-Duterte tandem and the other suggested that I take in Senator Go as my Vice President.
2. I strongly suggest to the President and Senator Go to own up publicly their decision to run as a tandem. If they can confirm it privately, then I do not see the reason why they cannot be candid about it to the public. They should simply present to the people what they can offer to our country and how they can help our fellow Filipinos. I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running.
3. Senator Pimentel and Mr. Ronwald Munsayac should stop blaming me for the sad state of their political party. It is not my fault that no one among you is a leader worthy of the respect of the majority. Do not blame me for the sitcom that your party has been reduced to.
4. I am not a "Last Two Minutes" person. I think, I organize, and I implement accordingly. In the meantime, I refuse to be a political punching bag for a party in complete disarray."
Political savvy
Sara Duterte walked along a tinder path where a small spark could cause a conflagration -- a nascent feud with her father the President, the differences with presidential contender Senator Bong Go now becoming apparent, a jab at the champion boxer's PDP-Laban party to include both the Pacquiao and the Cusi factions.
Make no mistake about it -- all these indicate a strong and determined woman with plenty of political savvy, something lacking in most presidential pretenders in the runup to the filing of certificates of candidacy at the Comelec on October 1, exactly one month from now.
A mother, too
Feisty Sara Duterte has three kids -- Sharky, Stingray and Stonefish --and by her actions, she considers motherhood an important aspect of her life, taking time in her schedule as Davao mayor and politician. She also has empathy for mothers, displayed in her opening sentence of apologizing to her mother for her message that may disparage the President himself. The names she and husband Atty. Maneses Carpio gave to their children indicate that she wanted them to grow strong, courageous and undaunted by bullies.
Not a pleasant event
We all know what a pleasant event or incident is. With its calming effect, it is something that we remember during times of distress. An unpleasant one makes you cringe in fear or anticipation of danger or misfortune.
Sara characterized as "not a pleasant event" when President Duterte confirmed to her privately that he and Go are running as a team, with the senator gunning for the presidency.
The Davao City mayor advised her father and Go to stop weaving their political plans around her, not to talk about her,
or make her the reason for their running or not running.
We find this statement as terse and blunt as it should be -- with Sara representing the young generation of today's leaders giving a piece of her mind to the elders, reminding them that the reason for seeking any lofty government position should always be the common good, and not whether some person is also a candidate or not.
Her own woman
Sara Duterte shows to all and sundry that she is her own woman. She does this by courageously courting the ire of her father with the way she advised him and Go "respectfully" to exclude her from their political plans.
But it did not end there. The third point the lady mayor of Davao City raised concerns the ruling party itself, the PDP-Laban.
She tells Sen. Koko Pimentel and Ronwald Munsayac to keep their mouths shut and not blame her for the chaos and confusion that befell the PDP-Laban. She is emphatic in saying that "it is not my fault that no one among you is a leader worthy of the respect of the majority. Do not blame me for the sitcom that your party has been reduced to."
Sara affirms that she is not a "last two minutes" person because she believes in planning and thorough preparations, and having done that, proceeds to implementation.
She also refused to be "a political punching bag for a party in complete disarray."
Intelligent and decisive
For Filipinos (such as Isko Moreno) who consider Sara Duterte as just a "tagapagmana ng mataas na pwesto" or the beneficiary of inheriting her father's political capital, this coming-out statement on FB should make them rethink their opinion about Sara.
If Bong Go, Sal Panelo, Francisco Duque, Karlo Nograles and other advisers are unlikely to take a contra position against the President's mind, Sara Duterte is not. She says it what it is, she airs what is in her mind.
Her latest post in fact criticizes President Duterte on two counts: not being forthright with the people about the Go-Duterte tandem even as the filing of candidacy is already one month away, and most painfully, she lumps Duterte with Senators Go, Pimentel, Manny Pacquiao, Bato Dela Rosa, Secretary Alfonso Cusi, and other officials of a party which is incapable of finding a true leader worthy of support of the majority.
Analyst from Esquire
From Esquire magazine, we read this very credible analysis of Sara's grit of character and street-smart mind.
"Sara accomplishes three things with her post. First, she distances herself from the PDP-Laban, which could be seen as a toxic political party for anyone with aspirations for higher office, or winning the 2022 elections. Second, she emphasizes her independence from her father, the President.
"Third, by saying 'no one among you is a leader worthy of the respect of the majority,' she indirectly assaults the credibility of party officers not only as leaders of the bloc but also leaders of the nation."
Two notes
Sara might still be considering how to respond to the two letters given to him by the President instructing her to endorse the Go-Duterte team or take in Bong Go as her vice presidential bet.
Coming from a powerful man who presses you from two positions of power -- patriarchal as a father and political as President -- the fact that Inday Sara is showing intransigence and her own independent judgment is most praiseworthy.#