In the world of political polls, reality and press releases are like distant cousins—related but rarely in the same room together. 

The latest third-quarter surveys show VP Sara Duterte’s ratings tumbling faster than a government project’s deadline, yet the Office of the Vice President (OVP) insists on singing the praises of “raw” numbers. 

What these press releases conveniently skip over is the context—like proudly announcing you scored 50 points in a game, but neglecting to mention the number of your violations and penalties.

Is it any surprise, then, that Duterte is busy perfecting the art of distraction? Evasion is her new hobby, deploying baratella techniques to divert public attention from dwindling ratings and fiscal mysteries. It’s a political magic show: “Look here, not there!” 

Meanwhile, reality trudges along, unimpressed, watching the OVP scramble to spin a narrative that fools no one—except, perhaps, the one writing the press release.

By Melchor Vergara

Ah, the physician-turned-blogger’s lesson on “subtlety”—it’s like getting dietary advice from someone who lives off fast food. 

She claims the current government is engaging in covert harassment, a far cry from the glory days of her idol, the former president. You know, the guy who skipped subtlety altogether and went straight for overt, no-nonsense “management” of critics, dissenters and violators of his hard-line policies. Ah, those were the days! No need to read between the lines—he’d just tell you outright that he’d love to throw you in jail (or worse). Unfortunately, there was collateral damage, nay, innocent victims.

EJK, Kian de los Santos, the Parojinogs come to mind.

Now, we’re stuck with this sneaky oppression that’s *gasp*…hard to prove! Maybe she misses the simplicity of a time when being a critic meant wearing a metaphorical (or actual) target on your back. The new subtlety clearly lacks the in-your-face flair of, say, a televised threat. It’s almost like democracy’s trying to act polite. How inconvenient for those craving a little old-school, strongman charm!