Joke and Dagger

Title: 254 Characters

In my now-defunct (but soon to be revived, maybe) personal blog, I used to write what I’d call a “One-
Liners Blog Post.” In it I’d have quick one/two-liner statements on prevailing issues, all limited to 140
characters - the old character limit to Twitter.

Now, I thought I’d bring it back, only this time I’d limit each statement to 256 characters - which is the
current Twitter character limit, plus some allowance for quotation marks, a space, and the requisite
23 characters so that you, my dear reader, can just link back to this after quoting me. You’re welcome.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on various issues, in 254 characters or less. Enjoy!

On returning to MECQ: So after 5 months, Metro Manila has returned to MECQ. Only this time, we
have the benefit of hindsight to say that this Duterte administration has had absolutely no plan in
place to stem the spread of COVID-19. Ain’t it great?

On Duterte’s speech on going back to MECQ: Why should any of us be surprised that Duterte
considers any form of criticism as a call to revolt against him? Any show of intelligence and
competence is threatening to an incompetent clown show.

On Spokesperson Roque’s statement on the call of frontline medical practitioners: Why is it the
doctors’ fault that Duterte was the “last to know” of their conditions? Isn’t it the IATF’s job to monitor
what happens on the ground and report back?

Speaking of the IATF: Has anyone else noticed that there isn’t a single doctor among the IATF bigwigs?
And no, Incompetent Duque doesn’t count. Mostly military and police guys. Maybe this is why all of
their solutions are militaristic - and ineffective?

On Sen. Villar’s apparent lack of breeding and empathy: She has insulted nurses, the academe,
researchers, and middle class workers. Why not go the extra mile and insult the one group of people
who have been saving lives throughout this pandemic?

On DFA Secretary Teddyboy Locsin’s Twitter activity: If it looks like a crazed old geezer, walks like a
crazed old geezer, talks like a crazed old geezer, and acts like a crazed old geezer, then trust me, it
isn’t some tactical genius in disguise.

On the DDS trolls’ call for doctors to resign: Doctors are “tired,” “overwhelmed,” and “need a time-
out,” and your response to them is to call for them to resign? Yet when Duterte is exactly those
things, you plead with people not to criticize him?

On the changes the doctors are asking for: They’re not unreasonable. Get rid of all of these obviously
ineffective people in the IATF and put in people who actually know what they’re doing. It’s laughable
that people even need to say it out loud.

A last thought: Things will get better. It’ll get worse, though, before it gets better. But what everyone
needs to keep in mind is that the Philippines will get better DESPITE Duterte and his ilk, not because
of them. We’re stronger than this Duterte regime makes us think we are.