Ambivalent Attitudes

of President Duterte
Dominique Molintas
Differentiate attitude from personality, character and behaviour

Oxford Dictionaries defines character as 'The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an
individual' and behaviour as 'The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards
others.' Behaviour is thought to be one way of expression, while character decides what and how
to express (Chikezie, 2017). Behaviour that is inconsistent with attitude could result of social or
peer pressure. Particularly for children, attitudes are often shaped by observed behaviour
(Darnton, 2007).
Behaviour demonstrates individual inner attitudes and convictions; but then again a
circumstance can influence behaviour change. Character is the essence of being described as a
constant set and organised formation determined values which expressed through the surface
behaviour (Armitage, 2001). Character relies on capacity and is mainly inherited from family.
Sheer behaviour enables a person to follow directives, but does not ensure original thought;
whereas character stems from thinking which enables the person to accomplish tasks with
determination (Handy, 2010). As an example, honesty and generosity, ambition and courage are
established traits of character. These cannot be distorted by conscious effort.
Character is enormously resilient to change and obstinate regardless of circumstance. By so,
a person of good character is said to be incapable of conduct contrary to personal convictions.
Apparently, genuine character can only be demonstrated in times of predicament or opportunity
(Brooks, 2006). The mind is the linchpin of character, while the cornerstone of behaviour is the
transient vital emotions. Behaviour presents itself in short-lived circumstances; whereas
character presents itself across all situations (Halpern, 2003).
Strong character can be described as tenacious and confident; optimistic and self-aware;
adaptable and flexible; drama-free and reliable; self-sufficient and consistent; takes responsibility
and embraces change; unafraid to speak up and learns from mistakes; ready for the unexpected
and manages stress effectively.

A Story of Character (Source Unknown): One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well.
The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he
decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just was not
worth it to retrieve the donkey. The farmer invited all his neighbours to come over and help
him. Each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey
realised what was happening and cried terribly. Then, he quieted down. A few shovel loads
later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With
every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. The donkey
would shake it off and take a step up. The men continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal
and the donkey would shake it off again and take another a step up. Pretty soon, everyone
was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Attitude towards Filipino President Duterte

Overall attitude towards the Head of State is certain and positive. Rodrigo Duterte is apt the
role in the country-specific circumstance. Shame the lack of better language even when this has
been reasoned to eradicate all international bullshit. The Presidential performance is way above
the expectation of a lowly, simple ‘put order in the house operation’, as some sort of preparation
Ambivalent Attitudes of President Rodrigo. Dominique Molintas |2
for some future becoming leader. Knowing that His Excellency is not the best highly qualified
Filipino, the Palace should be supported by the finest deep thinkers so that this energy, eagerness
and courage are properly placed.

First, the Philippines is yet a democratic deficit. The expression democratic deficit may be
used to denote the absence or underdevelopment of key democratic institutions (Acemoglu
2012), but it may also be used to describe the various ways in which these institutions may fail to
function properly such as lack of transparency and accountability, technocratic decision making
or inadequate participation of citizens in policy making (Ackerman 2004). Given the
circumstance, I do not expect perfection of the Head of State.
Second, Rule by the people is not inherent in the Filipino social construct because the
country is a deeply hierarchical society. Unlike Western societies that are raised with concrete
appreciation of individualism and competition; the Filipino thinking is collective and in most
rural regions many family units operate in commune. Even for many with marginal privacy. I
note there is a honcho to each clan or family, where authority rests and the unbelievable loyalty.
Given this social construct the country is utterly dispersed and cross cutting—the energies are
not cumulative and not centrally focused. Therefore the personality of Duterte fits because there
is familiarity in how to manoeuvre when tough measures are necessary to take.
Third is that authentic democracy has very little relevance today. Democracy is literally
translated as: Rule by the people derived from the Greek dēmokratiā, derived from demos
meaning 'people' and kratos meaning 'rule' to denote the political systems in the middle of the 5th
century BCE (Dahl, 2019). The adaptation of democracy across nations is by way of popularity.
Thus in any issue, the influencer takes up the idea of captivating irrational human behaviour for
the sake of moral hegemony, or narrow group interest—rather than cognizance because it is
simpler to stimulate sentiment rather than provoking thought. For the Philippines, referendum is
extremely expensive, yet Congress is kept imbalanced and thinly represented. By so, a strong
leader is essential. What is the fuss when several countries had leaders far insane: American
President John Adams was Authoritarian. Adams criminalized any criticism of the president or
Congress in the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 and enforced it. George Bush passed the Patriot
Act, which eliminated some Constitutional protections for Americans.
I would like to point out that the article of Webb: Why are the Middle Class Misbehaving?
Exploring democratic ambivalence and authoritarian nostalgia, published in Philippine
Sociological Review 2017 volume 65: Emphasis placed on the choice of the Filipino middle
class demonstrating democratic ambivalence if not for authoritarian nostalgia—all because
Filipino freedom requires restraint. To support the analysis the People World Survey data
collected in the Philippines in 2006, finds the Filipino values democracy but does not necessarily
oppose the idea of a strong disciplinary leader.
This analysis is poorly concocted and totally demeaning the Filipino. Democracy is pure
ideology that has not been realised in its entirety, even by so-called democracies such as
America. Point-blank freedom does not exist because behaving freely might trample on the same
equal rights to freedom of others. By so, it is all the more crucial that unwavering leadership
exists to compel the balance of freedom across a diverse multitude of people with half of these
people deprived. Authoritarian nostalgia is farfetched, let alone stupid.

Ambivalent Attitudes of President Rodrigo. Dominique Molintas |3

Are ambivalent attitudes manifested in relation to Presidential works?

Collins Dictionary defines ambivalence as: The simultaneous existence of two opposed and
conflicting attitudes or emotions1. Ambivalence is explained further by vocabulary.com to mean:
Impropriety and indecision; compassion and jollity2. Psychology describes ambivalence as the
mental disharmony a person might feel experiencing both positive and negative feelings for a
singular object and is associated with sorts of disconnection3.
Ambivalence borrows from the German word ambivalenz, coined in 1910 by the Swiss
psychologist Eugen Bleuler. The German word was formed from the Latin prefix ambi which
means‘in two ways’ and the Latin word valentia that would mean‘vigor or strength.’

To be clear, ambivalence is far-out an interpretation of indecisive or indeterminate:

Ambivalence is strength in two ways opposite the other. Good and Bad. Positive and Negative.

As comparative analysis of Presidential ambivalence between Good and Bad: American

President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act that gave the president the power to
grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state
borders. The State forced the Cherokees to move west during the winter of 1838 in ethnic
cleansing that did severe damage with nearly 4000 Native Americans who died on the march,
known today as the Trail of Tears—In contrast: Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte signed into
law the Bangsamoro Organic Law which puts an end to the marginalisation of the Moslem
Filipino.
American President Franklin Roosevelt put down the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933.
The Farm Relief Bill is an Act to relieve the existing national economic emergency by increasing
agricultural purchasing power, among others, enacted by the 73rd United States Congress. Two
years afterward, Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, struck down the plan for industrial
recovery in a 6 to 3 ruling, it annihilated Agricultural Adjustment Act was unconstitutional.
President Roosevelt is dubbed by others as the American Socialist President—In contrast:
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act No 11203 The Rice
Tariffication Law which curtails importation and lets farmers a chance by making local product
cheaper. With high surplus of neighbouring countries blessed with wide rivers, tariff is a decent
way to protect the farmer.
Abraham Lincoln put an end to Black Slavery, what is spoken to be the harshest servitude in
total system of chattel. In the course of implementation the President suspended 'writ of habeas
corpus' in a special session with Congress in 1861. When Maryland State Legislator John
Merryman tried to stop Union troops from moving to Washington from Baltimore during the
Civil War, Merryman was arrested even when this was ironically unconstitutional. The Supreme
Court ruled that Lincoln did not have the authority to suspend writ of habeas corpus, but
President Lincoln never responded or appealed, nor did the President order the release of
Merryman—In similar vein: Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte operationalized the
Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 or Republic Act No. 9165. Drug trade which is
illegal is a bizarrely lucrative business. Movement of illicit drugs both domestically and cross
border comprises a very dangerous organized transnational group of professional criminals,

1
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ambivalence
2
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ambivalence
3
https://www.yourdictionary.com/ambivalence

Ambivalent Attitudes of President Rodrigo. Dominique Molintas |4

high-ranking officials and military personnel across numerous countries. In plain English: The
trade of illegal drugs is typical means of living for military men and insurgent groups of many
developing nations because the movement illegal drug is not possible without the protection of
armed men. Murders in the cross fire are the direct consequence of members of the drug
syndicates killing each other either for their own protection or to exact revenge against whistle
blowers. What is surprising is there is a whole lot involved.
Everyone knows about American President Richard Nixon big time crime; the Watergate
scandal and subsequent disgraced resignation in 1974. The Nixon administration is known for
keeping the White House activity secret from the public. According to The New Yorker:
Presidential Paranoia—In contrast: Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has three leftists in his
cabinet and appointed green crusader Gina Lopez to be Environment Secretary, despite
concerns from the wealthy mining industry.

Two absolutely awful bad decisions by His Excellency Rodrigo Duterte: Lowering the
Age of Maturity and the Veto of Worker Security of Tenure.

Responsibility as an independent culpability of a child—is wrong. HB8858 to lower the Age

of Responsibility in the Philippines to age twelve from age fifteen ought to be repealed. I think
lowering the Age of Responsibility simply enables a basic measure of crime for statistical
purpose. Rather quite clearly, this does not resolve the deepening issues in the Filipino society.
Lowering the Age of Responsibility evidences a cultural shift has taken place and traditional
practices lost. These shows to say the Filipino Society has seriously compromised civility and
empathy—with increasing incidents of intolerance, bullying and violence among our children
and adolescents.
Civility characterises a positive collective face,4 which can be thought of as commonplace
for actions or exchanges that must be considerate5. It can be said that in spaces where civility
exists, harmonious interactions emerge.6 Thus children feel safe, understood, appreciated, and
respected7. This theory put in practice cautions not to neglect minor incivilities in a community
because this predisposes more serious forms of antisocial behaviour. To tackle real problems like
crime, institutions ought to pay attention to these little issues, such as bullying.
Furthermore, civility is thought as the willingness to compromise so to live together in
relative harmony8. It is dramatically defined as the virtue of self-regulation to the extent that one
is to desist what could be most pleasing, for the sake of harmony with strangers9.
Looking into civility in the context of Age of Responsibility and its contradictions; one can
examine facts on capital punishment in England where young English boys were hang in public
for theft of fruits on trees up until the 16th century10. In 13 April 1546 Alice Glaston at age 11
was hang in England for an unknown offence and in 23 February 1629 John Dean, at the age of 8
was executed for arson at Windsor11. Although very ancient, such nuance of social construct is

4
Papacharissi, 2004
5
Phillips, 2003
6
The Takeaway, 2012
7
Sulkowski, 2014
8
Meyer, 2000
9
Calhoun, 2000
10
Duff, 2011
11
Boyce, 2019

Ambivalent Attitudes of President Rodrigo. Dominique Molintas |5

markedly insane in contrast Fijian tribe territories where crops can be taken freely by children
because punishment for hunger was simply impossible.

Income is the singular predictor of effective democracy and Security of Tenure takes
the Filipino worker forward. To operationalize choice as a measure of democracy, even the
most marginalised Filipino is courted in the course of elections. However between election
periods the majority are helpless unless organised and mobilised—and this how the interest
groups, the extreme left or the corrupt elite prevail.
To stabilise the income of the Filipino there must be Security of Tenure. The position of the
Labour Department is that the practice of contractual worker arrangements must be stopped and
employees must be regularised. Only then can they have security of tenure and exercise the right
to self-organisation and to bargain collectively. Without regularisation, trade union organising
will almost become impossible to undertake. This Bill will strengthen the security of tenure of
workers to be directly hired and be working with a company or the principal.
Endo is a waste of energies by the industries and the worker. Half the time the worker is
looking for a next six months and the firm spends on basic repetitive training, rather than training
to advance the skills of already existing workers. There is very little real work accomplished and
companies hardly move ahead in the capacity to growth and invent. Many Filipino industries are
weak and behind pushing the true inventor and creative minded overseas.
International Organisations are well aware that ensuring this basic worker right to the
Filipino is for international competition to fear. Once the Filipino worker has that wage
advantage, he would refuse to slave in foreign land—because a Filipino worker is capable and
resilient.
The End of Endo can change the world order for which many international organisations
who feed off the malice of an instable poor Philippines are themselves to be displaced. Company
training would be about worker advancement and professional growth, no longer the orientation
and reorientation. Working women would have more time with family instead of having to look
for work in six months in interim.
Of course the idea of investment security is blasphemy. Business ingenuity expects to afford
calculated risk and is in no way supposed to undermine the wage advantage of the Filipino
worker. If Industry had survived the peso plunge at 30 percent in 1983 and even further 50
percent in the 1984 Aquino assassination, then industry today is far then capable to comply
Security of Tenure.
In the 2019 International Trade Union Confederation Global Rights Index, ranked the
Philippines as one among the world worst countries for workers along with Algeria and
Bangladesh; Brazil and Colombia; Guatemala and Kazakhstan; Saudi Arabia, Turkey and
Zimbabwe—The Philippines was given a rating of five, which means workers in the country are
not guaranteed of worker rights. The Veto of Security of Tenure signals consent of the Palace to
institutionalise labour malpractice and is wrong.

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Ambivalent Attitudes of President Rodrigo. Dominique Molintas |7
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