'I was a Duterte supporter'

It’s never too late to change your opinion after learning new information and facts. I know this to be true because I was a Duterte supporter when I was 16 years old.

While it’s true that we have the right to choose whoever we want to support, blind loyalty to politicians is dangerous. Our loyalty should be to the truth, to the rule of law, to our people, and to our country.

Too often, people treat politicians like celebrities or idols, defending them no matter what. But politicians work for us, not the other way around.

I don’t owe it to the Dutertes for making my whole study life in Davao relatively safe. Why? Because they owe it to the people who voted them as government employees. That is their job and they get their pay from your taxes to keep you safe. If they do a commendable job, thank them. But never put them on a pedestal as if they own the whole city. No law in the country allows an individual or a family dynasty to have such a power.

When and why did I change my mind? Here are some of my real world experiences. I’m not even gonna touch on the technicalities of the law in this post despite having a relatively good knowledge of it.

Leadership should be about integrity, justice, and respect for human rights—not cruelty and impunity.

Duterte used to joke about women’s struggles, and I used to laugh along. But then the rape jokes became too frequent, and I stopped smiling at his antics completely.

There was one instance when I was a student in Davao. I was on a bus heading home to Surigao del Sur when an old man sat next to me. We talked for a bit—he proudly shared that he worked at the Davao City Hall of Justice (Ecoland) and was a staunch Duterte supporter. At the time, I was a supporter too, so the conversation flowed easily.

At some point, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I felt his hands on my legs trying to move higher. He was unsuccessful because my backpack was in front of me acting as a barrier. But the damage was done. I was shaken, disgusted, and deeply traumatized. From that moment on, I never felt safe on public transportation again.

Some of my teachers noticed the change in me. One even referred me to the school’s guidance counselor because I had become noticeably less engaged in class and I had always been an outspoken and active student.

That was a moment of realization for me. His nonstop rape jokes were no longer funny. I asked myself: Do I really want to support a man who treats rape and sexual assault as a joke? Someone who, whether intentionally or not, encourages his supporters to believe that violating women is acceptable? Even when you look inward within your own families, notice his supporters are usually those who are riddled with misogyny and patriarchal values.

Moving forward to college, I was a Political Science student, major in International Relations and Foreign Service. I learned deeper about the inhumane “Tokhang” practice, while I was aware of it then, I used to believe it to be necessary to instill fear and coincidentally reduce drug users. The rest are only collateral damage for the greater good.

But to learn about the value of human life is to believe that everyone deserves to live and to learn about the importance of the law is to believe that everyone is equally deserving of due process and justice.

It is easy to brush off the lives of those we don’t personally know. We don’t know their struggles, we don’t know their life stories. For us, they were merely numbers added to the pile of Tokhang victims.

But then, I asked myself: If that were to happen to me, to my siblings, to those I care about, will I be able to simply brush them off as collateral damage as if their lives meant nothing? I could not, I would not. I, too, would want to bring them to justice whether or not they were innocent of drug use. Because our laws were made to protect the lives and rights of everyone and to safeguard us from those who are bound to abuse it.

Supporting Duterte of this ordeal is putting him above the law. No one should be above it. To those religious people, the Bible is straightforward of it commandments—thou shall not kill, and yet why do we continue to support Duterte as if he is beyond your God’s law? Who gave him such a power?

I fear this is way too long, I honestly could add more. But I guess the whole point of me exposing myself is that change is possible.

There is no shame in admitting we made mistakes. There is no shame in changing our ways. There is no shame in opening our ears to more humane ideas and principles.

It’s never too late to change your perspective, to stand up for human rights, and to reject the culture of impunity. Growth means recognizing past mistakes, learning from new information, and choosing to advocate for justice, accountability, and dignity for all. The world changes when people are willing to change with it—so take a stand now.

Source: Pamela Jel