Rodrigo Duterte’s recent comment about “killing 15 senators” to clear the way for his candidates in the midterm elections should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed his tenure closely. After all, his six years in Malacañang were marked by crude remarks and cynical distractions, many of which were aimed at deflecting from the real issues at hand. But even by his standards, this comment—if we are to take it as a joke—might be one of his most morbid.
Duterte has made a career out of shocking the public, and his knack for hijacking debates is nothing new. When criticized about his track record, he often shifts the conversation in a way that’s hard to ignore—yet still too uncomfortable to fully engage with. Rather than addressing the pressing issues facing the Philippines—such as national sovereignty, his political legacy, and the governance decisions he left behind—Duterte instead throws out bizarre and disturbing remarks like this one.
His comment was a crude distraction, a smokescreen designed to avoid engaging with the real problems that matter. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. set the stage for a serious midterm debate, focusing on governance, transparency, and the future of the Philippines. He highlighted the key issues—Duterte’s unfulfilled promises, the sovereignty compromises made with China, the questionable candidates he endorsed.
These are critical subjects that should be dominating the conversation. Yet, in typical Duterte fashion, he manages to flip the script with a joke about violence. A statement that should have been dismissed as absurd is now the talking point, overshadowing the serious debates that should be taking place.
Let’s be clear: Duterte’s words were never meant to be taken seriously. A closer look at his statement reveals that he overstated his numbers—there are only 12 incumbent senators, some of whom are his allies. He’s not advocating for actual violence. But the way he casually flirts with the idea of “killing senators” is deeply unsettling. This is the same man who spent much of his political career normalizing brutality, making violence a punchline. And in doing so, he diverts attention away from his legacy of broken promises.
It’s the same old trick: distract, confuse, and—if he’s lucky—let the real issues slip through the cracks. The real question is whether the public will continue to buy into this circus act or finally demand answers to the questions that truly matter. Don’t hold your breath.
