[The Slingshot] Will the real Leandro Leviste please rise?

The Philippines’ youngest self-made billionaire. The youngest ever chairman of a company on the Philippine Stock Exchange. If you stride into Congress at only 32 carrying those taglines,  jaws will drop. This must be what the country needs for a future president. The stereotypical words effortlessly come to mind: young, dynamic, original, stainless. 

“Future president” merits a deep and focused rumination. Let’s refresh. The event did not happen long ago but as recent as August 2017. But because memories are normally short, here are extracts of the transcript. It was the formal inauguration of Leviste’s Solar Philippines. The guest of honor?  None other than the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte.

Leviste: 

Nagtu-on ko og gamay nga Binisayâ kadtong naka-uban ko si Mayor Duterte sa Davao sa 2013. Ipinagbilin ako ng aking ina na mag OJT kay Mayor Duterte. Noong nagkita kami, niyaya naman ako ni Mayor Duterte na sumakay sa kanyang taxi. Mag patrol daw kami ng Davao at manghuli ng kriminal. 

Sa buong Pilipinas, wala akong nakilalang lider na may tapang at malasakit katulad ni Mayor Duterte. Kaya naitanong ko: Mayor, you’ve done so much for Davao. Why haven’t you run for national office?

Kanyang sagot: the country is not ready.

Many events have since transpired and the rest, as they say, is history. Today we are so grateful that President Duterte answered the call to run in the 2016 elections to bring change to the Philippines. And we are so humbled, Mr. President, that you have made a visit to our factory to bring attention to one of the greatest problems of our economy — the lack of manufacturing due to the expensive cost of electricity.

If not for the policies of the Duterte administration, these jobs and this factory would not be here today.

And this is a testament to the international community’s confidence in the Philippines under President Duterte. For years inuuna po ng mga Chinese and other manufacturers Malaysia,  Thailand, and Vietnam. Pero noong naupo si President Duterte nagbago na ang paningin ng buong mundo sa manufacturing sa Pilipinas.

At salamat sa pinaka matapang at may malasakit na presidente sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. (End of extract)

The Leandro rhetoric here was classic communication spin. His aim though was not propaganda. He was after a desired political outcome which was the amendment to the EPIRA Law to allow consumers to shift to solar energy without threats from energy providers. To do that, he emphasized the positives of Duterte (from his POV). 

In the process though, he was also propagandizing Duterte. He was both exaggerating and emoting. It cannot be erased that he was also speaking as the son of a politician who wasn’t a check-and-balance senator during the Duterte regime.

His use of a half-truth that Duterte was fighting criminals — as we now know it to be that it was largely fake — makes Leandro Leviste a very strong  contender for trapo (traditional politician) politics instead of maverick reform.

The reply of Duterte in his speech was extremely revealing. He and Leandro were a mutual admiration society not out of shallowness, but because of the kind of politics both had.

Duterte’s speech was idealizing and idolizing the then-26-year-old young man. He was flattering and worshipful of Leandro. His speech was a hagiography of Leandro.

Duterte:

Senadora Loren, may kandidato na ako na presidente sa 2022. Does it sound nice — President Leandro Leviste? (applause)

Ang bunganga parang semi-Trump pati…ang kulang na lang ‘yung put_ng i_a. Ang Pilipinas po without the p.i. ay hindi mo ma-disiplina.

Senator Loren, you just have to give up your plans. Mas pabor ako dito kay Leandro. Eh marunong eh. You are very lucky you have a son who is a visionary and who has the will.

Mr. Leandro, keep it up. You are a visionary. And if by chance you become a public official, ang kailangan mo lang is the will to implement and to do it. 

Let me cut my prepared speech.

Dito sa administration ko there will be no corruption. But itong sa anak ko. They are allowed to open bank accounts. Kung totoo ‘yung may pera ako sobra-sobra sinabi nila sa last elections, na meron akong 11 billion, my god you can have my resignation tomorrow. I will step down. Wala akong pera na ganun. 

(End of extract)

That, folks, serves as a reference to Leandro Leviste’s platform of government. His mother’s dynastic mold is a plus factor as well. Leandro belongs to a dynasty and that truth cannot be altered. If he dreams of becoming president, it will be thanks to Rodrigo Duterte. He made Leandro a DDS. Yes he is. – Rappler.com