POLITICS: Disciplining the nation – 10 point checklist
It is told that the incoming President Rodrigo Duterte and his team of stalwarts did the disappearing act to await the results of the elections and to plan for the future irrespective of the scale of the victory. Victory was written on the walls when he started galloping in the gallop polls conducted by ABS-CBN nearly a fortnight prior to the May 9 election.
He was not idle, though; there was so much to do since it had become clear that he was on the verge of being saddled with additional responsibilities in addition to those already existing.
So, with the help of a few close confidants, he set out to do his homework to prepare the blueprint that he would have to stick to on taking over as the incoming 16th Philippine President.
Like a divine Moses, he jotted down the Ten Commandments which would enable him to fulfill his plans for the Filipino people.
On May 16, he made his thoughts and wishes clear; he proffered these suggestions to the general public to implement them to adopt a responsible way of life while in the public domain.
The following are the 10 orders of President Duterte that every Filipino should follow.
No Drinking in public places.
His first suggestion was to stop using the streets and other public places for drinking since it should be done in the privacy of their house; in case they did not have a house to stay, he urged them to stop utilizing the streets for drinking.
In his typically direct manner, he issued a stern warning that all those who are found drinking in public places will be arrested and locked up as per his orders.
While he was ordering all bars to close shop after 1 AM, he ordered that all drinking in the plazas.
No collection for students.
He strictly forbade any type of collections for anyone.
Curfew for minors.
To improve the atmosphere of sexual exploitation and abuse of minors, which has been a scourge of the poor people, he instructed the general public that minor children should not be seen on the streets after 10 PM; since the law did not permit arrest of underage children, it was told that their guardians and/or parents, who are responsible for their safety, will instead be arrested. Barangat Tanods who do not ensure this will be summarily dismissed.
Speed Limit
He dictated that the speed limit should not be allowed to exceed 60.
War against Drugs
Since the war on drugs was a real promise made by him at the beginning of the campaign for the Presidency, he declared that the action to fight the drugs menace should be launched right from the Tanod level under the direct supervision of the Captains.
To make their duties more effective and to ward off any threats from the gun-toting drug runners, he stated that the tanod will be equipped with guns shortly; these tanod will be supervised by their captains.
He went on to declare that the drug peddlers were killing the lives of their children, so there was nothing wrong with killing them; those who killed his country , must be killed, he added.
Conduct of Government employees
He exhorted the government employees occupying high positions to be humble and courteous and, in a lighter vein, asked them to smile even if they are toothless.
Corrupt Officials
Corruption and its elimination being his second poll promise, he advised the corrupt officials to leave their jobs on their own; otherwise, in his typical offensive manner, he stated that he would not like to see them being asked to tender their resignation by the angry youth of this nation.
In the alternative, he suggested that he may be forced to transfer them to the territories where Abu Sayyaf was active and if they were abducted, he would not make any attempts to get them released.
Providing a Document
He issued a direction that all official documents like permits, licenses etc should not take more than 72 hours; if not, he will be questioning them. He also hinted that there are so many people without jobs and that computers should be used to expedite the work.
Heavy firearms and NPA rebels
He stated that licensing of firearms will be tightened; a permit is essential for holding firearms too. Moreover, licensing for heavy arms will not be allowed.
He said that corruption follows as soon as you hold a firearm while advising the National People’s Army that, though he had initiated the peace process, he was still their enemy since he was going to be the head of the government.
Videoke Limit
He also suggested a limit of 10 PM for playing Videoke songs since he wanted the children to sleep.
Death Penalty
His oft-repeated threat of re-introduction of the death penalty was repeated again while asserting that the level of crime would be the deciding factor; serious crime that would be considered eligible for the capital punishments are:
- Heinous crimes,
- Rape,
- Kidnappings,
- Robberies, and Rapes with murder are some of the crimes that would qualify for such punishment, and
- He took it further stating that the execution will be repeated after the first execution.
These are some of the steps to implement a safer and calmer society, as he did in Davao, everything is possible.
However, the public, whether for or against Duterte, will have to adopt more discipline in their daily lives; however, time alone will decide the course of this poor nation that is coming up in spite of the ills that plague this society.
Umrao Singh umraoz.wordpress.com
Written for: Lars-Magnus Carlsson www.thephilippinepride.com
