By Atty. Howie Calleja
When logical public discourse is marred by AD HOMINEM attacks — of a person’s underwear, hairstyle, obesity, gender, etc. — and not the issue at hand; it only means that you are guilty as hell and desperate to dodge the issue that you could not answer head-on.
The President’s delayed Monday Retort aired the following day was a perfect classroom example of this kind of fallacy (Ad Hominem, a Latin expression meaning “to the man.” An argument that relies on personal attacks rather than reason or substance). Mr. Duterte once again maliciously maligned Senators Lacson and Gordon instead of directly and clearly answering the issue about the purchase of overpriced facemasks and face shields.
Ad hominem attacks can be extremely persuasive if your goal is to divert the issue and discredit the person posing the argument. However, if all you have to say is so petty — underwear, hairstyle, obesity, etc. — it can backfire and reveal how hopeless you are in covering up your flaws and unethical actions. Even the Urban Dictionary recognizes that ad hominem arguments are generally used “by immature and/or unintelligent people because they are unable to counter their opponent using logic and intelligence.”
Our Philippine Senate’s investigation highlights the issue of how the funds of the Filipino people must be used judiciously. It discloses to the public whether or not the funds for our pandemic response have been used to save Filipino lives or if they have just been squandered by corrupt public officials. It is a criminal offense to steal funds allocated for the health crisis but it is beyond vicious to steal such funds from a 1.1 trillion loan that would burden the country and its people for years to come.
Mr. Duterte must realize that as hard as it may seem, most people, regardless of what their political alliances may be, share the same goals of making this country a better place. In a climate beleaguered with disagreement, let’s remember that all discourse should be respectful and civil. Avoiding ad hominem attacks is a basic aspect of best practices in public discourse.
This government should devote more of its precious time towards our pandemic response to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, instead of spending precious time looking at the pictures of a mayor’s underwear. Governmental response should likewise address the issue of corruption and not concerns pertaining to hairstyles and obesity. I just wonder if those overweight and those cabinet members experiencing a “bad hair day” were not as disturbed hearing such unbecoming statements. It is consoling to note that gladly no one in the opposition fits Mr. Duterte’s description of a Lizard compared to those obvious lap dogs and crocodiles in his cabinet and his allies in Congress.
It is just so cheap and crass for a National Leader to lashed out against COA instead of addressing it fairly. It is also irresponsible for Mr. Duterte to say that if elected as VP he will audit everyone (which is obviously contrary to separation of powers). I think he should authorize VP Leni as the current Vice President to start auditing everyone NOW if he believes it is the duty of the VP to do the same.
Obviously, all his tirades are simply retorts of desperation aimed to cover up the widespread corruption. The Pandora’s Box is now open and since his “ungodly” minions have no plausible explanation, AD HOMINEM attacks have become his refuge.
Clearly, this is a huge corruption scandal. So, he again applies his infamous stance that as “KING” he can do anything and do no wrong. Instead of telling the truth, he goes with innuendo and non-sense arguments against his critiques, hoping to evade the resounding issues of his corrupt administration.
