Gone is the bluster

Lawmakers speedily taking on the dares and challenges hurled at them by the Dutertes indicates that the coarse Duterte brand of intimidating bluster evidently lacks bite.

If before the family Duterte silenced detractors by making full use of their patriarch’s trademarked bullying harangues and threats, many nowadays counter the same Duterte bluster by hurling their own dares and challenges against the Dutertes.

Take, for instance, how the so-called “Young Guns” bloc in the House responded to Ms. Sara Duterte.

Last week the Vice President said she will undergo neuropsychiatric and drug tests on the condition “all the ‘Young Guns’ who are running as candidates should take a drug test…I demand that.”

Ms. Duterte said she submitted to psychological assessment “because they’re saying I’m unstable,” referring to previous raised concerns she’s in the throes of mental health issues following her fiery diatribes against the incumbent, which included, among other attacks, her ghoulish wish to decapitate him.

Yet, mere hours after Ms. Duterte’s spoke, unperturbed “Young Gun” members readily accepted her challenge to undergo drug tests.

But, they also dared Ms. Duterte to willingly attend congressional investigations and to testify under oath before the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accounts probing the alleged misuse of the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

Speaking on the sentiments of the “Young Guns,” House Assistant Majority leader and Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun said “we will not allow her to divert the real issue, which is the allegations of fund misuse and graft and corruption against her… she should be ready to face the House Blue Ribbon Committee and testify under oath.”

As I write this, Ms. Duterte has yet to issue her rejoinder to the House’s counter dare.

Ms. Duterte, however, wasn’t the only Duterte family member whose challenge to a duel was answered.

Her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte challenged PBA Partylist Rep Margarita Nograles to undergo a hair follicle test, the now familiar Duterte demand on their critics which they even made against President Marcos Jr.

Both Nograles and Duterte are gunning for Davao City’s First District seat, with Duterte branding Nograles as a standing member of “young goons” clique in the House.

Ms. Nograles quickly picked up the younger Duterte’s dare and demanded the two of them take together the drug test even if the younger Duterte had undertaken such a test last August.

Duterte apparently had to make good his dare since he and Ms. Nograles submitted themselves to drug tests last 23 October.

But of all the Dutertes hurling dares and challenges in recent days, former President Rodrigo Duterte himself proved that his trademarked bluster was no more than sound and fury after House Quad Committee issued a summons for him to appear before them.

Earlier, the Quad Committee officially invited the elder Duterte to testify in the ongoing investigations of the former regime’s brutal war on illegal drugs.

This, as one astute political commentator puts it, after Duterte “dared the House of Representatives to summon him, saying he’d appear if asked, and answer questions, rather than continue to see his loyal lieutenants persecuted.”

But when the House official summons came, “his lawyers sent an excuse letter. So sorry, it said, it’s too soon, and besides, my client doesn’t feel well.”

Duterte’s lawyers said their client was only available after the All Souls/Saints holidays.

The suddenly sheepish Duterte, added the commentator, reinforces the point that his bluster tactics, which he often employs, does “not always work” and has seen better days now that many whom he used to intimidate are refusing to be flustered.

So much so that even those who did the past regimes’ bidding are coming out of the woodwork like former Napolcom Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, who last week practically admitted earlier damaging testimony by another police officer that there was an illegal cash reward system for drug war operatives.