“Tatay Digong” as Prototypical, Political Metaphor: A Content Analysis of Senator Bong Go’s Prayer Rally Speech on March 15, 2025, at Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila

Abstract

This study examines the metaphorical framing of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as “Tatay Digong” in Senator Bong Go’s prayer rally speech amid Duterte’s International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) and Prototype Theory of Meaning (Allan, 2015), the analysis explores how familial metaphors recontextualize political leadership through culturally embedded notions of Filipino fatherhood. A qualitative content analysis of Go’s speech reveals recurring rhetorical patterns of paternal care, sacrificial suffering, and moral obligation, positioning Duterte not as a politician facing legal scrutiny but as a vulnerable patriarch deserving loyalty. Themes of familial framing, emotional blackmail through loyalty, and religious and moral sacralization illustrate how the “tatay” metaphor transforms legal accountability into an affective and moral narrative. Rather than making broad claims about public perception, this study highlights how such metaphors create interpretive scenarios that can obscure institutional processes by reframing governance as kinship. By situating Duterte’s “tatay” persona within both Philippine cultural values and broader Southeast Asian populist traditions, the findings underscore the political power of familial metaphors in legitimizing authority and insulating leaders from critique. Future research could extend this approach by analyzing similar metaphors in other political speeches or digital discourse, offering comparative insights into how familial frames sustain affective loyalty in populist regimes