On Presidency and Bad Jokes

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And now on local politics. So there's this on-going upheaval against Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, a front-runner in the Philippine presidential race, for uttering a "rape joke." I'm not going into details as to what the joke is about because I cringe everytime I think about it. Because it is really a bad joke. It is actually obnoxious. You simply don't joke about rape. And I was thinking, okay Duterte's presidential ambition is so over. His rivals and detractors are quick on the draw and are taking this huge opportunity to bash him, on top of other issues hurled against him. But as I monitored social media today I noticed that the attacks on the man made his supporters even fiercer. He may have lost some undecided ones but his supporters are the same. They are still voting for Duterte, albeit for various reasons. Taking these reasons altogether zeroes in on their being sick and tired of the current government's insensitivity and the people's longing for real change. The thing is, Duterte has done something really good as a city mayor and his supporters want him to do the same for the entire country -- regardless of his violent tendencies and yes, bad mouth. The thing is, I knew it was coming. I heard him talk live and I noted that he was tactless. It was just a matter of time before he would say something really foul, and then the joke happened. I say his character might not be fit for the presidency, but so is the current president who was only forced to accept the position. It is understandable because he only knows local politics. He still needs time to learn the prerequisites of a national position. This said, I say I'd rather have a bad joker as a president than a president who thinks the presidency is a joke or someone who will play jokes on us for another six years.