THE degree of frustration of those who still cannot come to grips with the solid popularity of the Duterte administration must be at its boiling point by now. Everything has been thrown, for the right or wrong reasons, even the kitchen sink, to discredit this administration and yet public support remains unshaken.
Their primary target has been the human rights violations that follow the wake of the brutal drug war that is currently being waged by government.
They are joined in the chorus of condemnation by various foreign governments and multilateral agencies. What they fail to realize is that the drug war, even with its unacceptable excesses, might just be the single galvanizing force that has rallied people, particularly the vocal middle class all over the country, to remain on the side of this administration.
The dud that was the black shirt campaign at the recent Ateneo and La Salle UAAP game is indicative of Duterte’s support even among the elite.
Over the weekend, the Catholic leadership of these influential schools issued “encouragements” for their constituents to wear black shirts in the basketball game between the rival teams to show unity and concern over the spate of human rights violations and the looming burial of the late dictator at a government cemetery for former presidents and veterans. By the looks of it, the pictures and commentaries show the lukewarm reception of the assembled crowd during the games for this appeal.
It seems that the yellow magic that rely on this sector for its base of support, the upper middle class, may be shifting allegiances because they see government responding to one of their primary concerns - security and safety in the streets. And these include the demographic of middle class and upper middle classes present not just in Metro Manila but also in the country’s urban centers. If they cannot marshal the Ateneo and La Salle crowd to join their campaign, it is highly doubtful if they can pull in the urban middle classes in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao for instance.
It is still too early to make a direct connection but the numbers are encouraging. According to the report of the regional office of the National Economic Development Authority or Neda, the crime rate for the second quarter this year was almost cut in half compared to the same period last year in Northern Mindanao. According to a news report published in this paper, the number of index crimes has also decreased by as much during the same period.
Whereas there were 4,993 reported cases of high profile crimes which include cases of murder, homicide, robbery, theft, carnapping, and physical injury last year for the second quarter, there were only 2,050 cases this year during the same period.
It should be noted that Duterte officially assumed presidency on the first day of July this year effectively excluding his administration’s formal anti-crime efforts during the period of April to June of this year covered by the said report. But also remember that Duterte ran on a strong anti-crime and anti-drugs platform and many attribute the start of drug-related killings upon his instigation even before he formally assumed office. The numbers during the third quarter are sure to show even more dramatic reductions compared to the same period last year if the trend is to persist.
Even before the statistics are in, the impression of people on the streets is that they are now safer in public spaces 100 days into the Duterte presidency. Anecdotal conversations with taxi drivers, daily commuters, and the common man and woman on the street reveal as much. Which is interesting by itself, since national networks display with regularity the mayhem and gore of the drug war on full display on our streets. There is a perception contest going on and Duterte seems to be winning this game hands down.
The crime statistics may eventually show the opposite but in the game of perceptions, it seems that Duterte has already won. His emphatic pronouncements against drugs actually complement the tally of the dead that is sensationally broadcasted and printed by mass media with regularity.
By default, given Duterte and his administration’s strong anti-crime and anti-drugs rhetoric, the gruesome statistics actually redound to his benefit since they become his campaign’s proof of effectivity. This is primarily the reason why the human rights campaign of concerned sectors will not fly or gain traction.
It is the public’s wish for crime on our streets to be resolved. In the assessment of this vocal section of our middle class, there is no contest between human rights and the positive perception of safety and security on our public streets.
Duterte’s victory in this regard may actually have less to do with the real results of the controversial government campaign against drugs, but more related to the public’s wish for immediate and tangible results, a kind of collective desire achieved, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
