by Jayson Gaspar Maulit

Duterte appears on TV late at night <today at 8:00AM — ed.>, recently with Cabinet members providing insights and praising him. These are all taped-as-live, edited by people from RTVM/PCOO. Nakakairita, but what Malacañang does is a well-crafted and executed communications plan.

The national situation is important to the Palace, kasi for the first time in almost 4 years, tinamaan lahat ng krisis. EJKs, the Rice Tariffication Law, and puppeteering in the government didn’t concern the rich. China’s claiming of our islands seemed very far to the urban poor, and people who didn’t live in coastal areas. Misogyny? Racism? Bigotry? At least totoong tao si Digong, hindi kagaya ni Mar Roxas at ng mga Dilawan.

But the COVID-19 crisis? Tinamaan ang mga mahihirap, tinamaan ang mga estudyante, tinamaan ang middle class, at tinamaan ang mga oligarchs ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

So. Duterte addressing the nation. The timeslot is deliberate—meant to play with the media, avoid (close to) real-time criticisms from experts, and extend news cycles for maximum retention. The message? It’s not for us angry and frustrated citizens looking for answers, no. The addresses are loyalty checks and call for solidarity to the DDS, asking them to, again, band together.

What we see:

(Timeslot) Walang respeto sa oras, doesn’t help with our anxiety, tamad siya.
(Messaging) Puro motherhood statements at walang policy details, revisionism, passing the blame, drugs drugs drugs.

How it appears to the DDS: Full-day work si tatay Digong, pero haharap pa sa bayan. Here’s a portrait of a frustrated leader na bugbog na sa kritisismo, pero kahit gabing-gabi at papahinga na lang, pipiliin pa tayong kausapin. Tatay Digong is love.

I. The timeslot

The real game: Too late for the news shows majority of people watch (gold standard for awareness sa political comms practitioners si TV Patrol at 24 Oras), but pasok pa sa timeline to decide tomorrow’s headlines. Example, 11PM ang address, tapos na ang TV Patrol, na-produce na rin ang content sa Bandila, pero headline-worthy pa ito sa broadsheets.

Pangalawa, hindi na rin makakakuha ng experts to comment on the President’s address ang media networks. Lalabas sinasabi niya sa early morning shows, pero by 9-10 AM, alam ng media na may pressers rin ang IATF, so no sense to get someone to analyze him kasi mapapanis na iyong balita. The Palace gets full coverage without the accountability, gets to drown out the headlines, and to be honest, they beat media in their own turf. Unless they ignore his addresses, like what CNN did to Trump, ito ang news cycles na meron tayo. Talo sila, and by extension, talo tayo.

II. The messaging

The real game:
Sa true lang, what’s clear is that this administration has built its rule in propagandizing, rather than actual governance. Kita iyon sa bagal ng pag-rollout ng pondo, sa very sensitive relationship nila with the private sector, sa mga eskandalo ng VIPs na politicians.

But. For the first time, iyong krisis binasag ang bubble of “security” na effectively nilang nagawa. Napakalapit ng isyu ng gutom at pagkawala ng trabaho hindi na lamang sa mga mahihirap, kundi sa majority ng middle class. There is brewing resistance and frustration across the board, and this is what they’re afraid of.

Political communications practitioners agree that what this administration has created is a cult-like culture of following from supporters. They selectively look at facts, or they do not look at them at all. Their politics revolve around the person, not the ideology (this could be true naman in every corner of the political spectrum, but more evident in theirs). Psychology tells us that people decide on emotions, and then attempt to justify them through logic later on.

So when Duterte says “stay home,” “follow the law,” “wag matigas ang ulo, at ako ang makakalaban mo,” these are attempts to frame the issue as an issue of discipline and order, rather than health and job security. Remember, this is the same strategy they used during the campaign. Suddenly, tao na naman ang kalaban. Disiplina na naman ang kailangan. Para sa mga supporters niya, tayo na naman ang hindi sumusunod sa batas, at kaya hindi umuusad ay dahil may mga taong walang respeto sa gobyerno.

Statements like “hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko” amplify that. Pagod na ang Presidente, andami pang pasaway – at nawala na ang isyu na kaya may hindi makasunod sa ECQ kasi walang probisyon sa mga sikmurang gutom. “Gusto kong umuwi sa bahay ko, pero hindi ako makauwi” humanizes him. Siya rin may struggle, siya rin naghihirap (kahit na hindi naman talaga), pero pinipili niyang sumunod.

Statements like “kaming lahat dito, utusan niyo” amplify his “commitment” to serving the country. Lahat ginagawa nila, at tayo ang hindi makaintindi.

And with that, without any bit of policy, the DDS remain to band together and rally around the President.

Ang mentality ulit, lahat ng salungat, kaaway. Lahat ng violators, ginagawa lang iyon kasi walang respeto sa batas. Ang ingay ng oposisyon, pero wala namang ambag.

And because they band together, with the trolls amplifying them, our comment sections become more rabid. Their ultimate goal: to make us feel that to speak out is to do the country a disservice at this very difficult time. They exhaust us, and for many of us who find toxicity in social media, mas okay nga lang siguro manahimik. May laman pa naman ang ref, may internet naman, may series pa sa Netflix na hindi pa napapanood, so wag na lang makisali sa away ng DDS at Dilawan.

But this crisis has transcended the DDS-Dilawan dichotomy, because bad policies impact anyone regardless of their political color (or the lack thereof).

Maaaring iyong pagtatanong natin pala ang tipping point ng isang kaibigan, kaklase, kamag-anak, katrabaho, random fence-sitter, o even soft supporter.

For every person who shuts up, isang sphere of influence ang nawalan ng boses, but every time we choose to speak up, someone might read what we say and finally believe that we deserve better than what the government gives (and does not give). While I don’t believe in arguing w/ hardcore supporters anymore, I believe that there are people in their group who are lurkers. Pag tayong may personal and emotional connections sa kanila ay nagsalita, it makes the criticism more humanized, and then there’s a chance for them to finally see others’ realities.

Remember: an insecure government’s greatest fear is a citizenry’s collective frustration, their voices amplifying each other’s dissatisfaction. Kaya patuloy lang sa pagtatanong, sa paghingi ng detalye sa polisiya, sa pag-aaral ng subtexts ng sinasabi niya, at sa pagbigay ng kritisismo sa ginagawa ng Palasyo.

Tatawagin tayong maiingay at puro dakdak. Babastusin tayo. Susubukan nilang patahimikin tayo. Lulunurin nila tayo sa kanilang naratibo at propaganda.

Pero magtatanong tayo, kasi pera, buhay at kalusugan, kinabukasan, at pangarap natin ang nakasalalay dito.

Hindi tayo tatahimik, kasi iyon ang paraan ng pagpapakita natin ng pagmamahal sa bayan. At sa panahong ito, hindi tayo dapat mapagod magmahal.

The DDS is united by a person, but we are bound by something stronger— our love for the nation. No President or administration can ever beat that.

Kita-kits sa next presscon.

Posted on Facebook, April 17 2020.