The nation should learn by now to “auto-delete” the “colorful parts” of President Duterte’s pronouncements and must not always take “his antics as policies.”

This was Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto’s view on how to read the chief executive’s statements which may be “shocking” to many.

For those who are outraged, “the best coping mechanism is not to let his curses get in the way of studying the causes he is fighting for,” Recto said.

“Makulay ang kanyang pananalita. May halong pangungutya. Yung pang-aasar ay parte ng kanyang stagecraft. Hiwalay ito sa state policies he is pursuing,” he said.

But just the same, Recto is advising Duterte and other public officials to “finesse” the way they communicate.

“Words can move a nation, incite people, disturb the peace, and make the political temperature rise,” he said.

“So people wielding large bullhorns should exercise caution in what they say,” he said.

Recto said when disagreements rise among branches of government, and between the rulers and the ruled, “these must be welcomed as a healthy feature of democracy.”

“And it must be resolved in a manner that crystallizes the issues and does not muddle them, in a manner that brings light, not heat to the discussion,” he said.

Referring to Duterte’s recent threat to declare Martial Law if the Supreme Court will hinder his anti-drug campaign, Recto said “unnecessarily raising the specter of a constitutional crisis will not bring us closer to what we commonly want to achieve–to defeat crime and bring law and order.”

“We can best serve the people by mutually strengthening the democratic institutions, and not by one branch threatening to subvert the other,” he said.

“When there is divergence of thought, we plod on. As both Batangueños and Bisayas would say: Kalma lang,” he said.