Being "Bayot"
Is “bayot” an insult? I’m wondering
because last night I heard Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte on TV saying this in
reaction to Mar Roxas’ expression of disbelief to his (Duterte’s) incredible claim
that he could eradicate criminality in the first six months of his presidency,
if and when he gets elected.
The way he said it, his body
language, the tone, his facial expression – all convey his meaning, that bayot (gay) is something so hateful and disgusting that he reserves that judgment to those
who dare question the pronouncements of Emperor Digong. Well, to be fair, that
is probably his most benevolent method of answering his critics. I suspect he
has far more “creative” methods of silencing them.
I can just hear his followers saying, “Buti
nga bayot lang e. Dapat sa iyo pinapatay.” (You should be thankful you're just being called bayot. You should have been killed.) And they’re right. They will inform
you this, with unholy glee and righteous anger, with blazing, fanatic eyes and
hands gesticulating wildly (or maybe pounding furiously on the keyboard), while
pointing out that Davao is heaven on earth. After all, Duterte’s critics are - to
hear those people drunk on Duterte-flavored Kool Aid describe them – stupid,
ignorant, uneducated criminals, and deserve to be raped and murdered, including
their families (I wish I were joking).
And another thing – is that man
capable of answering criticisms without resorting to insults and veiled and
not-so-veiled threats? You know, I seriously doubt it. After years of being THE Optimus Maximus of Davao, it probably hadn’t occurred to him that
others might be right, and he – dare I say it? – might be wrong.
He still hasn’t given an
unequivocal answer though, on how he would rid the country of criminality
within six months. That would be a feat for the ages. I get that political
promises are a synonym for excrement (bovine, human, and whatnot) but this promise
is so laughably far-fetched and prodigiously absurd, that it deserves to be in
a class of its own.
We all have a sneaking suspicion of
what he is up to, and it is troubling that his followers are okay with it.
They welcome it, in fact. You could hear their collective panties dropping when
Emperor Digong announced that he would bring back curfew – that endearing facet
of Martial Law.
Is the Philippines this broken that
we welcome people like this self-styled demigod to hold the highest office in
the land?
Yes, I fear it has come to this.
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