Last Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) raised Taal Volcano to Alert Level 3, as its main crater produced dark plumes as high as three kilometers. When asked by the press for his reaction, Duterte shrugged it off as not of grave concern. “We passed by earlier,” he said. “Maybe I’ll just put a cap in the crater.”

No one at the press conference laughed. 

Similarly a few months back, he threatened to criminalize citizens who refuse to be vaccinated. “I’ll have you arrested and I’ll inject the vaccine in your butt,” he said. He says this while the Philippines continues to be a COVID-19 hotspot in Asia, with 1.43 million cases and resulting in more than 25,000 deaths. Aside from the slow vaccine roll-out, billions of unused funds under Bayanihan 2 have expired which could have been given as immediate cash relief for affected citizens.

His jokes don’t land anymore. The bravado and brand of humor that propelled him into popularity in the 2016 elections doesn’t translate at all amid the worsening crises Filipinos are facing. 

Even among the reactionary ruling class, they too are reorienting themselves in proximity to Duterte. The largely in absentia senator Manny Pacquaio has now posed as a critic of corruption under this regime.

In the wake of Former President Noynoy Aquino’s death, there has been a tendency towards romanticizing the “matino and disente” (upright and decent) narrative of the previous regime. But this rose-tinted lens obscures the very violence and corruption that thrived amid the seemingly decent leadership, without the inaudible rants and insensitive jokes we have been bombarded by under this regime.

Lest we forget, under the late Aquino regime  the systemic plunder of public funds through (Priority Development Assistance Fund) PDAF and (Disbursement Acceleration Program) DAP flourished. And that regime was not without its state-sponsored killings, most notably the murder of farmers in the bloody Kidapawan Massacre. Even his counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan failed to address the roots of armed struggle, instead merely militarized communities, harassed legal activists, and even killed Lumad Leaders (Lianga Massacre).

Come 2022 elections, we must be careful of anyone who poses themselves in stark contrast to the now unpopular populism of Duterte, his brash and sharp mouth. The ruling class, no matter the appearance and posture they come by, would always hold a class interest that is in opposition to the genuine interest of the majority of the Filipino people.

At present, the ruling class are starting to clump in factions, as pressure from both Washington and the People’s Republic of China intensifies. In the coming months, expect more politicians to tighten or loosen their grip on the current administration, depending on which would give them greater leverage.

Despite this, and knowing that the electoral system is not the most decisive venue to push for long-lasting and genuine social change, we must nevertheless take advantage of these cracks within the ruling class. We must take this opportunity to push the people’s agenda as politicians try to woo the people once again. The cracks could become a dent in the reactionary state itself, which could further expose its corruption and decay from the inside.

More importantly, we must also take advantage of this to further isolate Duterte, with the aim of eventually ousting him or blocking his schemes of prolonging his reign of terror.

By then, the joke’s on him.

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