There's a battle for public attention at least every Monday.
With his taped weekly address often aired late at night and running long, President Duterte is letting the public make a choice: Be informed about latest pandemic response through his speech or get entertained on TikTok.
The President knew about the monumental popularity of TikTok but stayed hopeful that the public will still bear with his weekly "Talk to the People" as the country battles the pandemic. Duterte defended that his weekly address was important since it included important updates on the coronavirus situation, efforts to address the pandemic, among others.
Since the coronavirus outbreak began last year, Duterte made a habit to meet with top government officials on pandemic response and deliver a weekly public address every Monday. His pre-recorded remarks however are often aired late at night on state television and running in the wee hours of the next day. Apart from the President's usual address, some Cabinet members usually present their respective reports during the meeting.
On August 16, the President's televised address was aired quarter before midnight and ran for almost three hours.
"Bear with us. If just want to know what the government is doing, what is best for us, for you, makinig kayo (listen up)," the President said.
"Kung ayaw ninyo, eh ‘di punta kayo doon sa mga TikTok na mga ano, doon sa nag-aaway na nagsusumbong. Nagsusumbong ‘yung asawa niya kasi hindi nag-ano, doon ibinibigay sa --- na pera doon sa kabilang asawa. Iyan, ‘yan ang gus --- that... If you want that, ikaw (If you don't want, then go to TikTok and watch videos of people quarreling, complaining. A spouse was complaining because the money was given to another spouse. If you want that, that's up to you)," he said.
The President however stressed that it was crucial to get information about the country's coronavirus situation, including how public funds are used to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
"Kung gusto mo naman malaman ang gobyerno --- importante lalo ‘yung pera ninyo, taxes. Dapat importante talagang malaman ninyo ‘yan kung saan (If you want to know how the government, it is important since it is your money, taxes, it is important to know where the funds are used)," he said.
"And that’s why I’m painstakingly doing all of these things just to inform you because it is important for the right of the people to be informed,' he said.
At the start of the meeting, Duterte informed the public that Monday's briefing would be long since several government officials were expected to make their reports.
Duterte, apparently aware the meeting would undergo editing prior to airing on state television, said he did not want the important details cut out.
"I do not want something na kung ipaano ito, there’s some missing because all of the guys here who are talking play a vital role in government sa governance pati,": he said.
"Take out one of them, we would limp, mag-ano tayo, we cannot stand directly on all fours," he said.
In wrapping up the meeting, Duterte thanked the officials present in the assembly as well as the people who watched the event.
"Kung wala ng iba (If there's nothing else), I’d like to thank you guys for taking time with me. I know that this is sometimes a boring job but we always have to make ‘yung, you know, whether we like it --- ginusto man natin iksian (we would have wait to shorten it), there’s a lot of stories to tell to the people," he said.