You love Tatay Digong? Bishop says The Hague is good for his soul

So how should supporters make sense of the arrest and detention of former president Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague?

For Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon, it is a “special grace.”

“We can understand why the loyalists of Duterte are moving heaven and earth to get him out of prison. What drives them is, to use their own words, their love for their Tatay Digong,” said Buzon in a homily on Sunday, March 23.

“Tatay Digong,” or “Daddy Digong” in English, is the nickname given by supporters who view Duterte as the nation’s father. 

“True love seeks the good of the beloved,” Buzon continued. “If they truly love their Tatay Digong, they will do well to leave him in peace where he is now. I strongly believe that his detention in The Hague is a special grace. This could be the last chance for him to return to God. He is nearing 80 years old, which means that he lives on a bonus and borrowed time.”

Duterte is turning 80 on Friday, March 28 — his first birthday in detention at the International Criminal Court, as he is accused of crimes against humanity over his war on drugs. 

Buzon, 75, then explained that “prison time is a powerful time, more powerful than any spiritual retreat.”

Perhaps to the dismay of Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro if she reads this, Buzon recalled the experience of slain opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. when he was detained during the Marcos dictatorship. 

“Ninoy Aquino was totally transformed during his years of isolation in Laur. It was there [where] he found God and realized that his obsession to become president of the Philippines was all vanity and that his higher call was to give his life for the liberation of his people,” Buzon said.

(Reacting to statements from Vice President Sara Duterte, the feisty Castro said in a Malacañang press conference on Monday, March 24: Digong is no Ninoy. She said the former president, in his own words, is more like Adolf Hitler. The Aquino family, in a separate statement on Monday, said Aquino’s plight was totally different from Duterte’s. But that’s another story.)

Buzon then emphasized a theological truth: God loves their Tatay Digong.

“If Duterte’s loyal followers profess undying love for him, they should know that God loves him infinitely more. Duterte is, after all, a child of his. God wants him to be saved for ‘God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked rather than that he would turn from his ways and live (Ezekiel 18:23),’” the bishop said.

Buzon ended his homily by turning to “all of us who are caught in the turmoil of the present political upheaval.”

The Diocese of Bacolod, which Buzon has led since 2016, covers parts of Negros Occidental province. Buzon is remembered for having criticized Duterte when he was president, warning that “our democracy is being imperiled” by moves such as the shutdown of broadcast giant ABS-CBN.

Here’s some interesting context: In the 2022 presidential election, Leni Robredo won by a slim margin over Ferdinand Marcos Jr. But the former president’s daughter, Sara Duterte, was the province’s choice for vice president. 

Buzon, by writing his recent homily, was therefore treading stormy seas.

“It is time to put our love of country above any political loyalty lest we all perish,” the bishop said on Sunday. “Blind fanaticism is tearing us apart as a people.”

Will Buzon be viewed as heaven’s messenger, or another demon in the eyes of Duterte supporters? – Rappler.com