President Duterte is expected to go down in history books as the only commander in chief in the history of the Armed Forces, who, in every order he makes, not only rattles soldiers, but would leave commanders on their own to explain that such directives are not yet final, and subject to clarifications, not from the President himself but from his subalterns.
Oftentimes, it has been observed that the President’s orders are reversed or, worse, outcommanded by his own subordinate defense officials and senior military officers.
During the past weeks, Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana was preoccupied in explaining and clarifying Mr. Duterte’s defense and security pronouncements, admitting that one has to “see the many finer points” of some of these policy directives.
“He’s a very poor commander, an erratic commander in chief whose orders are subject to challenge every time,” an Army junior officer remarked.
“I would not go into battle with him as my commander. We will all die. He will order for an attack, and yet, in the middle, he will backtrack,” he added, referring to Mr. Duterte’s penchant to reverse or, worse, blur his own orders or statements. President Duterte has issued a number of directives in the form of strong statements over the past weeks, most of them concerning the country’s defense and security relations with the United States, but his officials said all of them, except one, are not yet final.
Before he was elected, Mr. Duterte said he would ride a Jet Ski into the West Philippine Sea, apparently to assert the country’s claims against China, only to establish a China-leaning diplomacy after he was elected.
Not contented, he also ordered the military to procure weapons and other armaments from China, and even Russia, only to be reminded by Lorenzana that it may not work out, since the Armed Forces has been used to handling Western-supplied weapons.
Firearms maybe, but not other weapons, the defense chief said.
Initializing his anti-American rhetoric, the Commander in Chief said US Special Forces troops assisting Filipino soldiers in the counterterrorism operations in Mindanao should go because in no way they are helping, but Lorenzana and even Malacañang officials said the pullout is not yet final.
The Palace even offered explanations that President Duterte is only concerned with the safety of the American soldiers.
On the other hand, Lorenzana said they need to brief the President and give him the “real picture.”
Unlike past presidents who have solid appreciation of the issues in the Armed Forces, Mr. Duterte has the habit of issuing strong but controversial statements, only to backtrack later.
“His mouth sets the tone for his mind to follow,” one soldier said. “The President should be reminded by people around him that anything he says will automatically forms part of the government’s policy, the military not exempted,” he added.
The problem with the Commander in Chief, as former President Fidel V. Ramos has observed, is “he is not listening.”
President Duterte has also said he no longer wants the conduct of joint patrols with the US in the South China Sea, of which, in the first place, none has happened yet, and that he favors a review of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
Malacañang officials said these pronouncements of Mr. Duterte are not yet final, as they went on to clarify and explain these pronouncements.
However, as the Commander in Chief wanted the Philippine Bilateral Exercise, which closed on Tuesday as the last exercise between the US and the country, Lorenzana has informed US military officials that it will be so.
But again last week, President Duterte said he was ready to break ties with the US, but on Tuesday, he changed his stand and said he would not cut military ties with the Americans, although he was asking himself whether such partnership is still needed.
“The President is losing credibility because of his double talk. He should exert effort to study, acquaint himself of issues before he opens his mouth,” another military officer said.
He added Mr. Duterte’s security policy with the US is something that the Armed Forces is closely following, but their Commander in Chief’s “dangerous liaison” with China is “deeply troubling,” which could break the tie for military.
Image credits: AP
84 comments
this ramos is a crook he think he is the best but he is nothing in the eyes of the people
Which people?
The 16 million idiots.
true. Funny how these 16 million idiots talk like they represent the whole Philippines.
Those 16 million idiots won an election. Careful there friend.
Yeah well… IF 16 million people WHERE 51 percent of the vote…
There is cause to be worried, fact is they are only 39% of the vote… I’d be more worried about 60 percent of those that did NOT VOTE FOR HIM and if you checked his satisfaction rating of 64 percent last published and compared it to the 39% that voted for him that gives him a buffer of 25% and that is NOT A LOT.
AND THESE SURVEYS HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO BE ONE OF THEIR TOOLS TO MISLEAD THE PUBLIC.
I think they are somewhat accurate but the need to explain them is Mandatory. Food for thought int he election he won by 39% this is established fact by the comelec, now you look at the TRUST rating AFTER inauguration it’s at 91%, now we look at the SATISFACTION rating of 64 percent, if compare and contrast the 91% with the 64% what is stuck in the middle? 27%… That is fairly significant for the first 100 days. If you look at the SOLID voter base which is the ELECTION which is 39% and contrasted them 64% in satisfaction we can see the difference in solid public support of 25% popular support. I dont expect surveys to drop like a hot potato immediately things like this takes time. We see the next survey.
Lets see where those ratings are in 6 months…?
you are looking for the losers forget the losers, why are you woried about them are they criminals too
Still, it doesn’t make DUMB-TERTE more important.
You may be right, and I am very sure he’s a lot less dumber than you. Just saying.
Yes you’re right again, but i am sure i’m a lot smarter than you are!
If that makes you happy. So be it.
Right, it may not make an elected person more important. So, what does that make the people who voted – you and me? Are you saying we are even less important?
That is not true, They mostly liked him up until his 100 days summary
Eventually they will hate everyone in this country and abroad.
The number of followers you have doesn’t make you more important. DUMB-TERTE has 16m bobos.
16 million giniuses for sure but are you sure its only 16 milion
eat beacon is stupid fool hehe
His support gave Duterte legitimacy to the upper classes and business circles. Duterte courted him and not the other way around.
maybe his support gave something to duterte but he should let duterte play his game out of his control because ramos has his chance and done nothing to be proud of. he want to advice duterte thats good but he want that advice to be done because he says it are you kidding what did he do who is he
Ramos may have not been perfect, especially during Marcos years.
But under him a president, the country thrived.
After him we had Estrada & Gloria, and we fell backwards again.
Although I never liked Aquino III, the country thrived once again.
Now we have a president who knows very little about anything with regards to running a country, and the people he has brought in to his government have also many shortcomings.
agree no one is perfect but i think he think he is above the president the way he think that his advise is the very good one and there is no other. how can you listen to a backstabber just think that he didnt speak hehe
But he is above the president in almost every way, so what is your point?
He shouldn’t think he is because he is?
no hes not lets say we look at the past when he was our president. tell me something he did that we are proud of
The economy
nope our economy in his time is not that special. i think gloria did better excluding the her corruption if that is true
I think you are forgetting the ’97 Asian Financial. All Asian countries suffered badly that time. But up that we constantly outperformed. I think we had GDP growth of 5% each of the previous years.
good to know about that. i dont realy hate him but the thing is ramos is acting like child who tweet negatively because his advise is not followed
Kwentong Barbero lang yan. baka isa lang yan sa nabasagan ng ALIKANSYA sa DRUGS money..wala nang nag AABOT sa kanya ng pera hahahahhaa…
Isa ka ba sa mga 16 million idiots na bomoto kay Dutete? Go to hill! sorry, joke lang
Hill?. LoL
baka macensor eh hehehe
sige lang, mag pantasya ka pa. para sooner or later, talsik na sa pwesto ang siraulo mong pangulo.
If you look back in the history books of WW11, Hitler did the same erratic orders to his military many are questioning his sanity. This is the story of Valkyrie who rebel and attempted the assassination of Hitler. It is the cause of their loss in WW11 where millions of German soldiers died including minors drafted to serve defending Germany.
The difference between Germany then and the Philippines today is the American influence on our Military and Business enviorment as well as freedom speech.
The only question is… When and Where is the Tipping point?
feels like outside intervention is needed. the intl criminal court option looks promising and it is within the bounds of of our laws since phl is a signatory
Looking forward to unseat whoever will be Duterte’s predecessor if ever he is deposed in whatever reason before his term ends. Just be careful with what you wish for ha brown americans, este mga amboys pala! Your relatives in the Philippines will feel the pain for sure. And the cycle will begin.
Good comparison and good reason to be worried as our country seem to be heading towards instability.
That was later on though once it was a world war and not just him steam rolling poland and france.
Nasan kaya ako noong WW3 to WW11? Ba’t di ko nabalitaan?
Nakasuksok ulo mo sa pw3t ng idol mo.
Kulang sa sa research, Mr Rene Acosta.. Dinamay mo pa kaming mga sundalo na nananahimik..
opo, bato.
mahirap mapatunayan kung totoo na mga sundalo talaga ang nag salita or gawagawa lang ng commentorista . kasi walang pangalan hindi mo ma identify sino talaga nagsabi. – kahit sino pwede gumawa ng ganito.
Identifying the soldier is not necessary because the point is not whether the person who made the statement is a soldier or not, but rather whether the statement made is valid and credible. I believe it is because there were so many instances that the President’s “mouth sets the tone for his mind to follow.” There are videos of his speeches and subsequent news reports to verify and confirm them.
Di mo na kailangang patunayan pa. Manood ka lang ng news. Sasabihin niyang paaalisin US army sa Mindanao tapos kinabukasan di na paaalisin. At marami pang iba
It ‘s the time of massive criticisms in the time of turbulence.
Opposition is always crucial in any democratic country otherwise everybody will be a yes-man with the absence of critical thinking . In the period of confusion such in a time like we are living with due to massive propaganda flooding in social media and the mainstream media yet it is very imperative to have a critical oppositon, it should be an obligation of everyone to support a positive policy of the government with positive effects on the constituents and the society but it is also a moral responsibility of everyone to oppose such policy with detrimental consequences towards the general interest of the people.
Filipinos should learn to transcend themselves beyond the personalities of their political leaders . You can not simply criticize a political personality based on his/her ethnicity or facial appearance but denounce that particular political entity if his/her policies that are detrimental to the society. Filipinos should grasp the reality that they are electing not a God but a human being who has flaws, made of flesh and blood that can commit mistakes and higit sa lahat ay makasalanan dahil napakaraming babae tulad ko.
Confusion is very bad for the line of command. But we are all confused. Duterte fails to unite the nation. He has an all out war with the ASG, a war on drugs, a word war on line, he has a diplomatic war on going with the Americans, UN, EU, Australia….Duterte very divisive.
yeah right estrada did united the philippine. so you dont support war against asg and drug. stop fooling around b**ch with big hole hole hehe
Frost3, are you really such a m0rOn? Get a life and maybe a brain.
wow are you a psychic or stupid you just say something stupid without sugesting a better thing you are the moron here
Typical run-of-the-mill Digong worshiper. Filthy mouth, small brains, can only speak in inflammatory statements, traffics in personal attacks instead of reasoned responses, confuses his own opinion for facts… Just like the sicko he voted for president.
I won’t even insinuate that you are but a paid keyboard warrior. I will state, however, that I’ve never met an intelligent Digong supporter online. You’re no exception.
i know im not that inteligent like you but i know what i want. i want him to destroy abu sayyaf. i want a safe street for childrens and for us also. i want him to balance the clout of superpower countries in our economy but to be paid to support what you want. nope i really support him. now enlighten me that i’m so very wrong
Tama ka Frost
Don’t worry about Frost and Pretty Boy, they’re not real people. – Probably part of the paid Marcos/Duterte media campaigners.
Good article. 🙂
paid? yeah right haha your funny ur joking right
Ok lang yan bro! Usually yung mga naniniwala sa article na ito ay utak talangka 😀
Wow, this comment section just gave me cancer.
NANINIWALA AKO MARAMI PA RIN TAYONG MGA SUNDALONG MATITINO AT ALAM NILA NA ANG COMMANDER NILA AY BALIW-ITAGA MO SA BATO-HINDI MATATAPOS NI DIGONG ANG TERMINO NYA-GANYAN KADAMI ANG MGA MATITINO SA PILIPINAS!
Sabi pa nga ni ERAP pang Davao lng c Charlie Mike…pang tupadahan lng
hala digong, this one is serious. if the afp gets fed up, you could end up deposed. and you would have deserved it.
The only solution? Unseat that psycho!
Sige uwi ka sa Pilipinas. at sasalubungin ka namin!
I have yet to hear any soldier complain.
Because they won’t complain in open or they will be accused of treason. Get mo na?
Who was that Army Junior Officer, I think in time he will be accused of dealing drugs.
They are legions.
Kathang isip lang ng writer!
I always believed that the senate is our last line of defense against a tyranical president. I am glad to be proven wrong. AFP for the country.
Soldiers are not that stupid. they know the difference between rhetoric and direct command !!!
junior officer?? like trillanes
He is left-leaning like me ever since he was indoctrinated by Joma Sison sa San Beda. Naitago niya hanggang ngayon na lumalabas na dahil presidente na siya. It’s now or never for them.
He said he’s brighter than his critics. He will just ask them 5 questions and they’d better be prepared to be humiliated! LOL.
This is exactly what I am afraid of. Duterte’s method of supposedly psyching out the enemies is also psyching out the entire nation, including the military. A leader who cannot communicate is no leader at all.
A shameful Commander in Chief.
Reference: An army junior officer, a soldier
#PakGanern
An ‘irrational opponent’ [for that matter the President] usually WINS the battle.
#Strategy
Ayan si Rene Acosta na writer ng article gumawa na naman ng intrega. Without quoting his “junior officer” kuno at kung sino pa. haha! Bulok na journalist! Why not just make a story he interviewed the devil himself para mas maraming maniwala sa story..Ganyan pinagana na naman ng press attache ng US embassy ang mga magic nila..Give the writer a 5 year visa, and voila! INTREGA AT DISINFORMATION para mag away away mga pinoy at para may gyera later on..Hello Egypt at Syria?
I would like to know who that junior officer said he will not go to war under PRRD command? Hmmmm I wonder who he is! Is he not TRILLANES who sold the AFP for his own personal purpose? And again hmmmm, The president had just finished his first 100 days in the office and yet to many have been done under his watch. Many good things for every Filipinos who were left behind from the past administration. And yet this one article tried so much to discredit those achievements? HELLO YELLOWS! You are indeed a dangerous and devilish virus that poses a big health risk in the Philippines. HEPA PRIDE PA MORE!
OUR SMART AND EXPERIENCED DEFENSE CHIEF
SHOULD KNOW WHEN TO PULL THE PLUG.
Here’s a president who talks out of both sides of his mouth. This is what the 16 million turd people committed the country to for the next six years.
TROLLS DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO CRITICIZE!
NON-TAX PAYERS DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO CRITICIZE!
TSISMIS IS A CRIME!
ITAGA MO RIN YAN SA BATO!
Does anyone see how he looks like Hitler with this fist out?
Hitler did exactly this with fist salute first then he did open palm later. Duterte really does love Hitler
Heil Duterte. Hitler of 2016
Pnoy is worst.