First, a declaration. I am not a fan of Miriam Defensor Santiago and Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte, these two outsize characters with striking sound bites.

Second, a confession. For a brief moment, I flirted with the idea of considering Duterte for president. It was because a businessman friend told me about Davao’s discipline and progress, the absence of red tape. Look, he said, NAIA will get fixed, the MRT will run on time, the expressways will be finished as scheduled.

The thought settled on the fringes of my mind – only to banish when friends reminded me that he had blood in his hands.

Now that that’s out of the way, what has stayed is a distant fascination with the incredible popularity of both politicians. I am amazed by their pull, as if each were a force of gravity.

They generate social media adulation, with Santiago’s more than 3 million likes on Facebook and over 2 million followers on Twitter. Among the presidential candidates, she has the largest social media network.

Duterte, the on-and-off presidential aspirant, is a newbie in this field but has already over a million likes on Facebook. He has yet to energize his Twitter account, though, since only a paltry 11,000 were following him (as of mid-October).

It’s amazing that news stories about them are shared thousands of times over, as if the public’s appetite for the latest and the newest, the highs and lows, the kinks and quirks of these politicians cum celebrities is insatiable.

Santiago’s bid for the presidency came as a surprise but her announcement lit up a spark in social media, with the hashtag #Miriam 2016 rising to a Philippine trending topic on Twitter.

For Duterte, what was so palpable was the undying speculation, reported non-stop and partly whipped up by the media, that he was going to file his candidacy for president, as if egging him on. This was after he had said that his final decision was not to seek the presidency, preceded by his cliffhanger statements.

Even when Duterte’s representatives filed his candidacy for mayor of Davao, the reports persisted. 

When the deadline passed and Duterte was a no-show, the rumor took on a new form: that he was going to substitute for the candidate of PDP-Laban, Martin Diño, who withdrew from the race.

Shock and awe

What makes Duterte and Santiago attractive?

They bring color to our political canvas, a wild flash, and a rawness, all ingredients that make for good entertainment. Both are outspoken, candid, funny, provocative, and like to dish out outrageous remarks. They shock and awe.

 “The Chinese invented corruption,” Santiago once said, the racist undertone so thick you could slice it.

As for Duterte, he openly said that his solution to criminality is murder: “If I have to kill you, I’ll kill you. Personally.” No ambivalence there. Unapologetic.

These and other startling statements make Santiago and Duterte appear to be avatars of protest against politics as usual. Santiago vows to crush corruption – but this is what other candidates promise as well. More than substance, it is style that differentiates Santiago: her fierce bursts of temper, oratorical theatrics, and wit.

In reality, it is Duterte who represents a sharp break from today’s politics because he believes in a dictatorship. “It’s the police and the military who will be the backbone [if he decides to run and wins],” he told Rappler. But he has opted not to be part of the race.

Trump, morales

The fascination with the likes of Santiago and Duterte is not unique to the Philippines.

Donald Trump, one of the Republican aspirants for president, is the United States media’s flavor of the season. Pundits have pointed out how Trump has parlayed his fondness for professional wrestling into politics, making a spectacle of his performance in debates and press conferences. After all, Trump is a member of the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame.

He has taken an extreme position against immigration and was offensive in his attacks against Mexicans and Latinos.

Duterte and Santiago have a bit of Trump in them.

In Guatemala, an outsider, a former comedian who played “dimwitted characters” recently won as president. He ran a campaign that had little substance, reports say, but he was regarded as “the least worst option.” His victory is seen as a clear message that voters are disgusted with corruption in their country, where an “anti-corruption citizens movement helped bring down a president.”

In this context, we are different from Guatemala.

Here, what we see in Duterte is the potential of forceful leadership and, in Santiago, simply the antidote to boredom. – Rappler.com 

“The Scrum” is Rappler’s take on issues and personalities of the 2016 elections. Derived from a media term that refers to reporters surrounding politicians to press them to answer questions and respond candidly, “The Scrum” hopes to spark smart conversations on politics and elections.