Trigger warning: various shocking contents. Read it here for FREE!
For this collection, "Datuterte: Imagined Confessions, 2024," I assumed the (despotic, brutal, chauvinist, misogynist, condescending, foulmouthed, etc.) persona of the previous Philippine president, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and via a series of portrait poetry and prose attempted a fictional autobiography which narrative arc begins and ends with his contemplation on his current situation: now that rumors are rife about the imminence of his arrest by the International Criminal Court over his alleged crimes against humanity, mainly the extrajudicial killings committed during his brutal “war on drugs” that claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Imagined but based on the subject’s actual statements and reliable news reports, the persona narrates his childhood, young adulthood, and his political career that began with his appointment as OIC vice-mayor of Davao City and ended when he finished his six-year term as president of the Philippines. In his stories, he speaks of the multitude of fatal crimes under his separate administrations as mayor then president; including the ones he purportedly committed himself – straight from his own mouth as factual statements, or tough talk to pander to his fanatical supporters, or both.
The fictional narration delves into the psychology and personal background of an autocrat, along with the social and political milieus within which each select slice of the storyteller’s life was lived, and the crimes he committed personally and/or under his leadership. Insights are also shared on how and why a significant number of a populace end up embracing fascistic propaganda and supporting tyrannical and (therefore) anti-human rights policies as possible solutions for social ills, preponderantly for the perceived or actual breakdown of law and order.
At the very least, I hope that this small collection will serve as a quick reference for any student of contemporary Philippine histor
y, specifically about the administration of the 16th president of the republic (2016 to 2022) that is now widely considered as the most murderous and with the highest number of human rights violations when it comes to state-sanctioned violence.
If there is anything you will read today, make it Karlo Silverio Lagman Sevilla III's free digital poetry collection, Datuterte. It's a unique, honest, and powerful collage of first-person poems spoken from Rodrigo Duterte's viewpoint, using real-life statements during his bloody six-year regime as Philippine president. It offers an encompassing grasp of his violent political term and is a product of Karlo's fellowship at International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM).
And, again, you can read "Datuterte: Imagined Confessions, 2024" by yours truly here for FREE.
Mula sa description box:Sa totoo lang, maliban sa mga atraso ng mga Marcos sa kasaysayan ng ating bayan hanggang sa kasalukuyan, yung mismong pag-iwas ni BBM sa mga debate noong kampanya ay RED FLAG na! Isipin mo, tumatakbong pagka-presidente tapos umiiwas sa mga debate! Masamang precedent at ehemplo! Ni di na nga ako magtataka kung may mga bata sa elementarya na tatakbo para sa student council nila, tapos iiwas sa debate at idadahilan, “Eh presidente nga ng ating bayan, umiwas sa debate, ako pa kaya?” (Mabuti pa si Ka Leody de Guzman, nagpakita at nakipagtagisan ng talino sa lahat ng debate noon . . . Ang imahe sa thumbnail ay mula sa balita ng Philippine Daily Inquirer, "Bongbong Marcos shuns Comelec debates, cites 'preferred mode of communication with people," ni Neil Arwin Mercado, ika-14 ng Marso, 2022.)
Kung nakawan ang lakaran
ng mga kinauukulan,
eh di ito'y di na anomalya.
Kaya tayo nang magpasya,
na sa susunod na mabalitaan
na tayo'y muling pinagnakawan,
na sabihin na lang sa isa't isa
kung ano ang baligtad,
"Uy, gumawa na naman sila
ng regularidad!"
Ang magdirek ng mga pelikulang pampropaganda na nagtatanggol at nagpapabango sa kuwento ng pamilyang Marcos na pasimuno ng pandarambong at paglabag sa mga karapatang pantao noong martial law – iyan ang showbiz career choice ngayon ng batang director na si Darryl Yap.
Unity ba kamo? “. . . noong tumutol ang sambayanan, pati mga pro-BBM, sa unang bersyon ng Maharlika Investment fund. Mantakin mo: gagamitin daw yung pension natin para isugal bilang puhunan?” Handa na ba kayong magretiro nang nakanganga? Binabago na raw nila ang proposed MIF, pero kaduda-duda at may mga butas pa rin, tsk-tsk.
Dear President and Department of Agriculture Secretary, Re itong krisis ng atiing abang bayan sa sibuyam, ano po? Remember the DA mandate: “The Department is the government agency responsible for the promotion of agricultural development by providing the policy framework, public investments, and support services needed for domestic and export-oriented business enterprises. ‘The DA envisions a food-secured and resilient Philippines with empowered and prosperous farmers and fishers. As such, it shall collectively empower them and the private sector to increase agricultural productivity and profitability, taking into account sustainable, competitive, and resilient technologies and practices. Hence, its battlecry is simply: “Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita!” Source: Department of Agriculture official website.
Naging maugong ang panawagan – lalo na mula sa mga Kakampink - - na kanselin o boykotin si Toni G. dahil di nila nagustuhan ang political choice at career move niya noong nakaraang eleksyon. Political choice niya, BBM for president. Showbiz career move, yung maging major, major entertainer sa campaign rallies ni BBM. Kaya yung mga dating fans niya raw, na mula sa burgesya na mga Kakampink, eh di inabandona’t tinatabla na siya. Pero may alas si Toni G: at ito ang pagiging makalimutin ng mga Pinoy. Hintay lang at lilipas din ito. Eh di ba alam din ni BBM iyan? Eh yung mga human rights violation noong martial law, yung pandarambong ng pamilya niya, yung crony capitalism, etcetera ay nabaon na nga sa limot, eh itong isyu pa kaya kay Toni G?
