IT is really puzzling that President Rodrigo Duterte should be imaged in the context of a political reality where opposition and contestations are considered alien. Duterte marched into the political imagination of the Filipino as one that contradicted the established and dominant political constructs. He personified an opposition to tradition, an out-of-the box disruptor. And his loyal supporters celebrated as he lambasted and terrorized the elites and the institutions they represented.

Yet, now these loyal supporters would frown upon every bit of oppositional voice or stance, which anyone would dare raise against the President. It is simply hilarious, if not for the fact that it is true, that his supporters have turned their ire toward a brand of sardines simply because the owners of the company producing it appear to have criticized the President on his handling of the coronavirus crisis.