The political cauldron is already near boiling point.
This is aggravated by the scorching summer heat that is soaring without let-up.
I meet people getting too emotional in defending their choices of candidates.
This is a heated presidential elections.
At this point, where we are only three weeks or more from the elections, there is yet no clear runaway candidate sprinting from the pack.
We can see Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte with a slight, but no-way comfortable lead among presidential timbers.
What became the much debated, much criticized, event was the “rape-joke†by Duterte during a rally.
Rivals capitalized and pounced against Duterte for joking about rape.
Duterte on the other maintains he was telling the story of one of his bloody exploits against notorious criminals, and did not  mean to ridicule the rape that happened.
My take on this is that Duterte did not climb up that stage to make fun of rape.
His comment on rape was an ‘obiter’ to what he was telling the crowd in the rally about his seriousness to stamp out criminality by not hesitating to enforce a shoot-to-kill order against resisting criminals.
It is true that rape is something that cannot be joked around, but Duterte’s political enemies are blowing the matter out of proportion.
Some have gone even to the Commission on Human Rights over the incident.
What foolishness.
A joke is a serious violation of human rights?
What about shooting to death starving farmers?
What about  the elderly couple who are the latest victims of “tanim bala�
Why is there no complaint in the commission on human rights on these more pressing issues?
What I agree with Duterte is his stern rebuke of two alien ambassadors who made comments about the rape-joke incident.
I agree that these two envoys, the US and Australian Ambassadors to the Philippines, should back-off making comments about Philippine politics.
Foreign governments are prohibited from interfering in our internal affairs, so it is best that they keep their comments to themselves, even if well-meaning because it can easily be interpreted as political interference.
How would the US ambassador feel if Duterte will comment on American politics, particularly that one candidate whose pronouncements have been laced with hatred and bigotry?
One leading US presidential candidate has proposed to ban Muslims in the United States, as well as to set up a boarder separating the U.S. and Mexico and letting the citizens of the latter pay for the wall.
Filipinos are not making comments on what an idiot this US candidate is.
Politics is politics.
Because we are nearing the day of reckoning, we are expecting black propaganda to escalate to newer heights.
We can see candidates, through their publicists and minions, throwing mud at each other.
Too bad, but that is the sad reality of politics, specially where we are witnessing a tightly-fought presidential race.
We must not get lost in the muddled discussion.
Amidst the highly-financed political mud-slinging, we the voters must carefully choose that candidate who will be able to present that platform that resonates and responds to the desires of our people at this moment of our history.# (By Atty. Jay I. Dejaresco)