‘For Rodrigo Duterte, on the other hand, it’s not a Philippine court or Philippine police authorities he has to worry about.’
EX-PRESIDENTS, I mean.
It must be tough when you’ve gotten so used to the trappings of power to one day wake up and realize it’s gone. That’s the challenge ex-presidents face, but it is noteworthy that most of them can make a successful transition from being the center of the (political) universe to becoming just “another” citizen.
What helps most of them in their transition is their foundations, which embark on social causes that not only keep them active but also help keep them in the public eye somehow.
In the US, the most “successful” of these transitions – and in many ways, the longest-running – has been Jimmy Carter and his work with the Carter Foundation. His foundation focused on a lot of mediation efforts in conflict areas, helping bring together warring factions in the Middle East; Carter also focused part of his post-presidential life on helping Habitat for Humanity build homes for the needy, the Philippines being one of the countries that was a recipient of its attention.
In the Philippines, former President Fidel Ramos also set up a foundation through which he channeled a lot of his post-presidency work. His successors, Erap and GMA, have spent a lot of their post-presidency still involved in politics, while PNoy died so soon after his term ended to have been unable to leave a post-presidency mark.
Of the exes, it seems that in the Philippines and the US, it’s those elected in 2016 who are somehow now embroiled in controversy due to things they did during their presidencies.
And both face serious legal challenges that may significantly impact their liberties.
A good friend of mine worked in the executive branch as an undersecretary. He dedicated six years of his life to this. He confessed that he had issues during his transition to private life, admitting to “separation anxiety” — separation from the perks of office, that is.
He says the first few days out of the office came as a shock to him: gone was the driver waiting to take you anywhere you needed to go. Gone was the staffer who looked after your papers, or the secretary who looked after your schedule, or the other one who made sure your lunch was ready. People around you no longer called you “sir”, or deferred to you, or even automatically laughed at your jokes. All of a sudden, it seemed you didn’t exist.
Imagine an undersecretary feeling that way the day after he leaves office.
Now imagine how an ex-president feels
At least for Donald Trump, he can still be described as an ex and a potential future president, his legal issues notwithstanding. But yes, it’s those legal issues that could potentially sink his chances and force him to move from the luxury or Mar-a-Lago into some federal penitentiary nearby. For Rodrigo Duterte, on the other hand, it’s not a Philippine court or Philippine police authorities he has to worry about. I wonder if he ever wonders whether he could be “picked up” by a foreign team of security agents who have an international arrest warrant at hand.
Let’s see what 2024 has in store for these 2016 exes!
