President Rodrigo Duterte, File photo: newsflash.org ur first reaction upon reading the CNN Philippines article that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was thinking about teaching criminal law after he steps down, went something like: are you kidding me! That would be the last thing we could imagine him doing. For starters, we have serious doubts as to whether he will even voluntarily step down at the end of his 6-year term. The seriousness of the alleged “crimes” committed during his administration should make him think twice about stepping down. The brutal war on drugs Duterte initiated soon after being elected is a prime example. Thousands of young Filipinos were summarily killed without due process. The International Criminal Court has already started a probe on this issue. We expect there will be a flood of lawsuits, both local and international, as soon as Duterte leaves office.. It might be something that Duterte is looking forward to, but a quiet retirement, it seems, is not in the cards for this president. He has made himself too controversial; made significant errors in judgment; stepped on way too many toes—across the globe—to ever be left in peace. So he may never get around to teaching law—even with his law degree. And in the long run, that might be for the best. His future students would be spared the anguish of having to sit through discombobulating lectures that obfuscate rather than clarify legal principles. Even worse, they might pickup his lawless attitude. Duterte, it appears, has a deep-rooted disdain for the law. In his mind, laws are for others to follow. He, on the other hand, sees himself as above the law, and can do whatever he wants. So Duterte teaching law is like Lucifer teaching catechism. It is simply unimaginable. The president should instead focus his efforts on defending himself from the tsunami of litigation that will hit him as soon as he leaves Malacañang. Then again, as we note above, he might decide to remain in power, and hope the good Lord gets him before the angry hordes do. Published 2/25/2020