“…Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life…” –Proverbs 22:4
In order to gain a more realistic perspective of the kiss President Rodrigo Duterte planted on a married Filipina during his recent official visit to South Korea, one must watch the complete video of the encounter, which has been making its rounds on social media.
I have watched the video. The Filipina, accompanied by another woman, approached the president at the podium and, after an initial shock, received the kiss with glee. They went on to embrace each other, patting each other on the back. Afterwards, the president directed the women off the stage.
The kiss only lasted for about a second, which negates any malice.
From my perspective, Duterte was simply teasing out countrymen who have been working in South Korea. The style ad manner of this president was merely for the merriment of those gathered, who were fatigued and homesick .
Those attributing malice are deranged
Duterte’s critics and political foes have been exploiting the incident by only portraying the moment his lips were in a “smacking” position with the woman’s lips, giving an impression the kiss was lascivious by making it appear to have lasted longer than it actually did. Clearly, their intention is to discredit and shame the president by making him appear abusive and disrespectful, particularly, towards women.
However, these efforts have produced no effect. Unlike the days when information could easily be twisted by critics, the public can easily unmask the truth and expose “fake news.” Thanks to the latest technology, many have easily concluded there was no malice or sexual undertones with the kiss, the very fleeting kiss.
Only the mentally deranged could ever find the courage to accuse Duterte of such boorishness or being a “sex maniac.” What truly confounds me is the inability for these accusers to see the president will be unaffected by it all; ironically, it will be their allies who will ultimately find themselves on the receiving end of such false accusations.
Unsolicited advice for Gen. Eleazar
With regard to recent reports suggesting more random drug testing would be conducted on police officers in the greater Metro Manila area, I have a word of caution for National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) commander, Police Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar.
Random drug tests will not change policemen.
Random drug testing cannot be conducted for all elements of the police force and there will still be police officers still hooked on illegal drugs, much like the female PNP Special Action Force member in Taguig City who was caught using illegal drugs in her home (and, somehow, escaped detection).
What Eleazar must aspire to is having police officers guided to relevant spirituality through meaningful activity to ensure they come in contact with the word of God, the Bible, and understanding and obeying God’s commands.
If you can accomplish this, Gen. Eleazar, real change will be seen among our police force – it could even catapult you to the presidency.
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