I don’t know what the Opposition is on about. They insist Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should resign because he has a condition that puts him at risk of cancer. So what if he is at risk of cancer? The late US president Franklin Roosevelt kept his partial paralysis a secret from the public and still went on to become one of America’s greatest leaders. According to an account published by Business Insider…
Roosevelt was determined to keep images of his wheelchair use out of the public eye, concerned about the impact on public opinion at a time when many at the very least considered such a disability as a disqualification from high office.
Secret Service agents would block the view of him using a wheelchair, and would requisition and destroy pictures taken by journalists who tried to get round this.
Even more remarkable…
But most reporters respected the White House’s request for the president not to be photographed in a “disabled or weak” state.
Indeed, someone asked this really important question: Why should Duterte resign just because his health is not 100 percent? Former President Noynoy Aquino was mentally challenged but the Opposition (in power at the time) was ok with it for six years.
Duterte’s body may be old but his mind is still working. He can still fulfil his duties as President. The world even learned recently that Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman was suffering from colon cancer but we had no idea since he continued to work hard in so many films despite his illness.
People with a disability or illness should not be dismissed or written off so quickly. But we all know that the only reason the Opposition wants Duterte to resign is because they know they can’t win an election. It’s a good thing Duterte knows that “vice president” Leni Robredo is not good for the Philippines. In fact it is bizarre that the Opposition now use the recent resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe due to health concerns as an example they insist Duterte follow. What they don’t realise is that Abe’s successor will likely be from the same ruling party that he is part of and, therefore, likely to continue his policies.
Hoping for Duterte’s death, resignation, or ouster seems to be the only platform the Opposition are able to show to Filipinos. This is a disgraceful strategy and an insult to Philippine democracy. The Opposition should come up with a more constructive platform that aims to move forward rather than tear down. If they do not evolve and step up, they likely face yet another embarassing catastrophic loss in the coming 2022 elections.
In life, things are not always what they seem.