A Punch that stunned the Nation, Literally
By Andrew Engel
Like a modern day Joan of Arc, Mayor Sarah Durterte, strode into a fracas in Agdao and wrote herself into the history of social media with 4 well directed right crosses.
But she did much more than that.
She catapulted herself into national prominence, into a political spotlight that has created a base from which anything is possible.
She rose above the law to remind us all that it can be blind to justice.
She established herself as a champion of the defenceless and dispossessed in a country where they are the vast majority.
She captured the hearts and minds of a majority of Dabawenyos with a siren call: a warning that a system of governance that is seen as the servant of the rich and powerful and the bedfellow of influence has its limits.
So, despite the notoriety she has received from certain quarters outside Davao, she has achieved something more fundamental and lasting. She has initiated a discussion that will increasingly move from the dramatics of the incident itself to the underlying message and the symbolic value of the punch.
That message is that the people have a voice. That the law must be dispensed equally or there is no real justice and its institutions are hollow. That it is government which is the servant of the people and not the other way around.
And “the voice” is not new, as a modest, self-effacing housewife found in Manila over two decades ago, albeit in very different circumstances.
People want to believe that there is someone who will stand up for their rights and challenge the status quo. They tire of empty promises and the constant rhetoric they hear falls on deaf ears. They long for a hero, or heroine.
That is why the punch struck home, why it symbolised the frustration felt by so many at the failure of the system to improve the basic lot of the Filipino.
Whether it is true or not that institutional weakness is causing a failure in the delivery of justice, that appears to be what people believe, and perceptions not only count in politics, they count in life!
Will anything change as a result? Well that is the question. It is a question the Mayor and her advisors will need to ponder as she finds herself at the head of agenda she would never have imagined possible as she let fly with those right crosses. It is a question all politicians or those inclined towards a political career need to ask.
Does it overstate the political case to say she has captured the hearts and minds of the people? I think not.
Is the task of reform too difficult for any politician in the Philippines? Well, so far, history records it has been.
It is easy to surmise that no lessons will be learned and that the matter will fade into the background quickly. That depends on what happens now and into the future, what this clever and capable young Mayor does with the opportunity she has inadvertently created.
Irrespective of what the Mayor achieves in the future, I doubt she will ever be able to top this. It is almost certain to be the signature moment of her political career. You can’t buy this type of attention and for that reason it is a political opportunity not to be squandered.
My guess is the claims of abuse of power will soon be lost, the arguments over its rights and wrongs consigned to fading memory. The so-called imperialists in Luzon will have their moment and those who mistakenly think the system has been wronged will continue to miss the point completely, until something else takes their interest.
What will be remembered is that a young female politician stood up for the common people. She didn’t think twice about the damage she might do herself politically or legally, she acted to defend what she believed in, her people!
Isn’t that what people want of their politicians?
She doesn’t need to be censored or counselled and she certainly doesn’t need to be defended. She is more than capable of looking after herself, and the people of Davao have made it clear that they will defend her without hesitation. There are literally thousands out there who now hold out hope that Mayor Sarah Durterte, “Inday Sarah” as she is fondly called, offers something different.
She already had a heavy weight on her shoulders and the impact of the recent flood is but one in a long list of challenges. Nonetheless, her responsibilities are even greater now as she moves forward in the aftermath of the Agdao incident.
This relatively young woman deserves the support of all Dabawenyos for the task ahead. And I have no doubt she will get it.
(Comment or write to Andrew at engelmint@hotmail.com)
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