Notorious unfavorable remarks have seemingly been the defining feature of the Duterte administration. While actions speak louder than words, it's the choice of words that often reflects the intentions of a leader—whose actions in turn influence certain socio-political aspects.

According to the securitization framework in analyzing peace and conflict on speech act, public statements, especially from political figures, are instrumental to the construction and implementation of policies. In its applied analysis, the framework contends that the words used by President Duterte in his speeches have created narratives that have forced the country toward an overall militaristic and police-centric approach. In reference to the securitization framework provided by Conflict and Peace Research Institute (COPRI),  this is made much worse given Duterte’s pronouncement on violence and abuse, regardless if they are intended as jokes in his speeches and official statements. 

Political Relevance of Language

In an interview with The Benildean, human rights lawyer and senatorial aspirant Neri Colmenares emphasized that Duterte’s poor choice of words can negatively impact the political governance of the country. 

“Very crucial ang pronouncement ng ating Presidente, not only in the direction of the country but also in mobilizing the people towards the solution,” he said. “President Duterte is the worst—not only because he loves to speak, but he speaks ill; and his basis for speaking is ill-conceived, wrong, and evil to some extent,” Atty. Colmenares emphasized.

According to Rappler, in his first year in office, Duterte has delivered at least 302 statements, speeches, messages, and remarks. Through the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Radio Television Malacañang available transcripts, and manual transcription of other speeches or remarks, here are the top six words Duterte used in his speeches: 

Data Disclaimer: All transcripts collected are only from his speeches last 2016 and 2018-2021 due to limited access to data from government websites. The data was gathered from all available transcripts on the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) websites from the start of his term until December 21, 2021, which was cross-checked with its corresponding linked videos from RTVM’s Youtube account. In addition, the tallying of words was manually done through the Microsoft Word Navigation Pane [Ctrl+F].

A total number of 30,347 censored words written in asterisks were counted. Curses such as P*tang*na/P*ta or T*ng*na/T*ng ([son of a] whore) and G*go (idiot), stood out that were transcribed as is or converted into an incomplete spelling with an asterisk. Other words such as “patay” (2,267),  “pulis” (2,078), and “militar” (1,884) were also emphasized in his televised speeches. 

In a column written by Boo Chanco for Philippine Star, it was emphasized how Duterte's vulgar pronouncements resulted in a culture of hate and polarization powered by trolls. In contrast with former presidents of the country, such as Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and late Benigno Aquino III, such coarse language of Duterte is nowhere to be found in public speeches and statements. While mistakes were inevitable, the political atmosphere was indeed different under the past administrations. 

“Those pronouncements from Duterte created an atmosphere that engineers the same kind of arrogance and abuse on his subordinates as well. Nagkaroon ng encouragement ‘yung other officials to do the same—mga balasubas at bastos din magsalita,” Atty. Colmenares asserted. 

Recalling Duterte’s controversial “Kill, kill, kill” statement on the war on drugs, this garnered the attention of international institutions and raised concerns on his conduct pertaining to human rights. In his first month in Malacañang in 2016, Duterte declared to the police to “shoot [alleged drug users and dealers] dead” with the assurance of pardon if they happen to kill 1,000 persons in the performance of their duty.

These statements were also the cornerstone of the administration’s militaristic pandemic response, especially in punishing quarantine violators. In an address on April 1, 2020, he delivered violent statements ordering police and soldiers to "shoot" any civilian who intends to violate lockdown protocols. 

“I will not hesitate. My orders are sa pulis pati military. […] na [kapag] ginulo at nagkaroon ng okasyon na lumaban at ang buhay ninyo ay nalagay sa alanganin, shoot them dead,” the President declared during the official broadcast. 

Undoubtedly, the unnecessary force to make people comply with rules and lockdown regulations has disregarded the necessary measures and safety nets needed to promote the welfare of every Filipino. Instead, it resorted to a culture bound in a militaristic approach especially in enforcing laws, even at the time of the pandemic.

During the first wave of lockdown in 2020, our news headlines were bombarded with the killing of Army veteran Winston Ragos, who was suffering from PTSD. Police claimed that he was "violating the lockdown protocols," ultimately defending why Ragos had to be shot dead when in fact he was just attempting to buy his maintenance medication.

In an interview with The Benildean, 1Sambayan La Salle spokesperson and student from De La Salle Lipa Niño Lescano stressed the difference between a country's needs during a war from its needs during a pandemic. 

“Not to attack the composition of our IATF, but how can we even expect for a good pandemic response if the ideas are contained in military concepts or holding and governing people only? We need medical experts, frontliner representatives, doctors, and those who are experts in these kinds of situations,” he expressed.

The significance of Duterte’s pronouncements lies in its influence on the sociopolitical climate of the country, which in turn impacts the government outputs being delivered, as pointed out by Dr. Ronald Mendoza, Dean and Professor of Economics in Ateneo de Manila University. 

In an interview with The Benildean, he stated that the words of civil servants “matter significantly in setting the tone and atmosphere for governance and public administration.”

“...In matters related to crime, sovereignty, and pandemic management, there is no room for jest, particularly to avoid confusion or any hint of corruption and impunity. Words matter. Words can uplift and unite–or it can divide and kill.”

This article is also published in The Benildean Volume 8 Issue No. 1: Redacted.