02/03/2026
WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES
In times of turmoil, leadership is not judged by eloquence, it is proven through urgency, firmness, and the readiness to act before disaster occurs. 👊
In January 2020, as tensions intensified between Iran and Iraq and the threat of conflict loomed over the Middle East, former president Rodrigo Rody Duterte did not wait for casualties to reach Manila. He did not wait for headlines announcing fallen overseas Filipino workers. He did not wait for mourning to overwhelm Filipino households.
He took action.
He promptly assembled his top military officials and, with a steady voice and evident concern, directed the Armed Forces to ready aircraft and naval vessels “at any moment’s notice.” Two Navy ships, BRP Davao Del Sur and BRP Ramon Alcaraz, departed from Manila’s South Harbor on what he described as a solemn mission: to bring Filipinos home safely.
“We, Filipinos, are really in grave peril,” he said. “I am nervous… It’s a matter of time.”
These were not expressions of fear, but of a leader who recognized the weight of duty.
Millions of Filipinos work overseas, many in unstable regions. They are not mere numbers. They are mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters — providers carrying entire families on their shoulders. In that moment of global uncertainty, the message was unmistakable: the Philippine government would not forsake them.
A president does not simply recount tragedy on national television after it happens. A president strives to prevent it.
In times of crisis, preparedness is compassion.
Urgency is protection.
Action is patriotism.
For many Filipinos, this was leadership : composed, resolute, and fiercely protective of its people.
And yes… for some, the memory of that kind of leader still remains — for he was the best and the greatest.
God, please bring tatay digong home. 🥲