(NB: This is my reaction from the Thinkpiece equating Sara Duterte with Courage)
(1) My problem with courage is it has to be displayed overtly so, for it to be validated in the political theater. But courage is mistaken for showmanship and lack of control in terms of Sara (without the "H" because she has no honesty, as they say) Duterte slapping the court sheriff. This is precisely people misunderstand courage for blunderbuss for political will (just like her father that is all just expletives and nothing much else)
(2) What is courage in terms of politics, anyway? Is it fighting for the people or really covering up for your criminal friends and family? Are you a "courageous woman" if you are willing to throw women under the bus and never really comment against your own father's diminution of women? this opinion piece writes about gender and though the writer professes she is no expert, courage is gendered in our culture. Just the fact that in the Tagalog language "nabakla" (to become bakla or queer or effeminate) means to lose your nerve (and that term is not just used in the streets, but even present in the Pasyon you will hear during Lent) Courage is culturally contextualized ergo what does it mean that "courage" is not just gendered but also geographic? (On Martial Law as an act of political will: "Kayong mga tiga-Maynila walang alam sa (insert problem) dito sa (insert place) kaya wag na kayong magsalita kasi kami ang nandito at kailangan namin ito) Courage has a location, apparently, and as you trawl through the social media comments and posts, courage is in Davao...(is there a "stifle your laughter" emoji?)
(3) Do you equate being a "strongman" to courage? Is it courageous to use your power and influence to muzzle your critics? If you are saying that courage means having the will to "do what it takes" to help the country "better"... (a) better for whom? (b) so, you're saying if you get mugged by men with ice picks and they steal your stuff because they are poor and need to feed their family and that is an act of courage for them because they do "whatever it takes" for a speedy result?
(4) If you go by Joseph Campbell, courage is a journey and transformation regarding to the power accorded to you which you initially refuse and flee from. What has Sara Duterte refused to do? Seek accountability from her family and cohorts' alleged criminal acts. What has she fled from? Decency? I don't know. All I know is I wouldn't use "Courage" to describe a brat with trigger problems.