Yellow non-sequiturs

Inane efforts to attack Rody, thus, consistently backfire and buttress public support for him.

One liberal democrat proponent mused in his piece that the shutout of opposition candidates in the recent midterm polls had made more Filipinos consider leaving the country, and that the pervading disenchantment is making them pack their bags to work abroad.

He even cited “data analytics” that suggest “countless Filipinos, largely from the most developed regions of the country, namely Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon, searched for greener pastures in Australia, New Zealand and (perhaps during summer) Canada. Many of our best and brightest began to give up, at least symbolically, on their country of birth.”

It was a typical bigoted opinion since apparently only a handful of sore losers may have left the country, and that the predominant Filipinos abroad are not the “disenchanted” but big supporters of President Rody Duterte.

When the hapless Otso Diretso wannabes toured Hong Kong during the campaign period, believing that the Chinese city, which hosts among the largest population of overseas Filipino workers (OFW), would be a rich source of votes; they were totally disappointed.

Their poorly attended rallies even during the Sunday break of most OFW were a realization on the real sentiment of Filipinos who work there.

Rody draws his constant public support of above 80 percent based on surveys from OFW and their families, who indicate satisfaction on the vastly improved public safety under his term.

The baseless analysis was similar to the arguments raised by Vice President Leni Robredo against Rody which departs from logic.

Robredo was under fire from the President recently not due to criticisms she leveled on him, but her wrong interpretation of the law which Rody said is unforgivable for a lawyer.

“Oh ma’am, if you are President of the Philippines, we’re dead. You do not even read the book and that is the major policy,” the President said.

In the same vein, Rody excoriated Sen. Panfilo Lacson for the legislator’s supposed penchant for commenting on “every issue,” saying that the lawmaker was just “trying to be a crusader but ignorant.”

“His penchant to just right away (make comments) in every issue… I think he’s running for President. But I would caution him to be more circumspect because there will come a time when those (comments) will be used by his enemies against him,” the President said.

“Sheer ignorance. Trying to be a crusader but ignorant,” he noted.

The President said he merely quoted from the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act when he told policemen in Camp Crame in August that they may accept gifts of nominal value given to them by grateful citizens.

“I quoted the very words, anti-graft and corrupt practices. There is an exemption there. Nominal. I use the word, nominal, out of gratitude. You know Filipinos are like that,” according to Rody.

“Then Leni would say it’s illegal and unconstitutional,” he said.

The instances of yellow logic remind one of Plato, the Greek philosopher who said, “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something,” which in the case of Robredo and her followers always result in public ridicule instead of getting support for them.

The inane efforts to attack Rody, thus, consistently backfire and buttress public support for him.

Rody is a lesson on the public perceiving sincerity in the way they identify with their leader.