Duterte cracks up audience; speech no tearjerker

By: Tarra Quismundo - 9 years ago

INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

In the first state event directed by an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, the main star went off-script not once鈥� but many times.

President Duterte鈥檚 first State of the Nation Address (Sona) yesterday wasn鈥檛 a tearjerker, as his aide put it.

The speech turned out to be one to crack up his power audience. He spiced it up with quips that only the firebrand former Davao City mayor could get away with.

Framed in film director Brillante Mendoza鈥檚 worm eye view shots and lingering close-ups on his hands and profile, Duterte did not shed his informal style of public speaking, several times joking about the length of his address in Congress.

鈥溾€榃ag na yan! (Let鈥檚 skip that),鈥� he said many times at the teleprompter. He also joked to an aide who handed him a glass of water, as his speech, supposedly 38 minutes long, extended to about three times the length.

When he spoke about relaxing the bank secrecy law, Duterte caught himself. At the height of the campaign, he was pilloried for alleged undeclared wealth.

鈥淚 am now President鈥� I didn鈥檛 want to meddle with this but鈥� you know,鈥� said Mr. Duterte, drawing laughter from lawmakers privy to the not-so-private joke.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a proletarian speech. It鈥檚 a populist speech. But you can see it is meant for the masses. His message to the masses was clear,鈥� said Sen. Richard Gordon.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time I鈥檝e seen the President go off-script that many times,鈥� said Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri.

鈥淏ut it goes to show that this is the Duterte style, this is the Duterte fever. He鈥檚 really like that. That鈥檚 why so many people voted for him, they are very happy with him.听 It is from the heart, it is crude, it is effective, he is speaking like a true local executive. He wants to be called mayor of the Philippines, and he is doing it the right way,鈥� Zubiri said. TVJ

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