
27/07/2025
A MASTERCLASS IN EXPOSURE
The DDS is fuming—and frankly, who wouldn’t be, after being publicly outclassed on every front?
For all their loud threats, bluster, and political chest-thumping, what General Torre showed us wasn’t just guts. It was strategy. Precision. And perhaps most telling of all, restraint.
He didn’t scream. He didn’t curse. He didn’t post cryptic rants on Facebook. He simply accepted the challenge as is, turned it into a platform to help disaster victims, and stood calm in the ring while his opponent disappeared to Singapore.
The Dutertes have long relied on the same playbook: provoke, grandstand, and then bail when called out.
• When VP Leni took on the drug czar post? Fired in less than a month.
• When Justice Carpio agreed to debate on the West Philippine Sea? Digong vanished and sent Roque instead.
• When Trillanes said “game” to the waiver-and-sampalan stunt? Digong lunged with a mic instead of a signature.
• When Sara Duterte bluffed about going to war over impeachment? The lawyers and loyalists rushed to pull the plug.
• When Digong dared the ICC to arrest him? He begged and cried on cue.
All bark. No bite.
What Torre did was unprecedented. He transformed a childish dare into a charitable event. The fight raised millions for flood victims. He respected the process. He coordinated with GAB. He elevated the spectacle into something constructive. And still, the other side blinked.
And now? The excuses are coming in like floodwaters: “Baste never challenged him.” “There was no agreement.” “He was out of the country.” “There was no time.” “There was no belt.” There was always a reason not to show up.
But history already has the receipts.
In a country where so many politicians mistake volume for courage, General Torre offered something different: deliberate silence, strategic clarity, and public accountability.
So to the DDS: yes, be angry. You just watched a masterclass.
And no amount of spin can scrub the fact that when it was time to fight, the cop showed up. The mayor did not.