Well, now newly resigned Department of Education Secretary Vice President Sara Duterte may have unwittingly disclosed the possible real motive of the holding of the so-called “Maisug Rallies” in various parts of the country. The supposed protest gatherings against the administration dubbed by the organizers aligned with former President Rodrigo R. Duterte as “Prayer Rallies” had as speakers the former President, his son Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte, and such personalities as former Presidential spokesman lawyer Harry Roque, former Executive Secretary of the sitting President Atty. Vic Rodriguez, lawyer Glenn Chong, NTF-LCAC spokesperson Lorraine Badoy and some others.
Last Tuesday while the VP was in Cagayan de Oro City attending the said city’s version of the “Pride Rally” was quoted on television saying that her father and brothers Baste and Congressman Polong Duterte are all gearing to run for Senator this coming May 2025 midterm elections. Considering that most of the other regular speakers in the past “Maisug Rallies” are known harboring ambition to run for the Senate, then what the Vice President revealed about the plan of his father and brothers is all but affirming the suspicion that the “prayer rallies” are actually the means the former President’s group is using to advance the exposure of the potential members of its Senate line-up.
Actually it is the very same strategy adopted by the populist former Chief Executive when “he tested the waters” for his Presidential run in the 2016 elections. Long before the filing of the certificate of candidacy he travelled in various key cities all over the country advancing his idea of a Charter revision that would possibly include a change in the form of government into a Federal system.
Naturally, the Filipinos long wanting for a meaningful change not just in the form of government but in the people who would be running it readily accepted the idea. Knowing this the former Davao City Mayor eventually cast his lot in the 2016 presidential derby. He virtually “steamrollered” such long nationally known political names as Roxas, Binay, and Santiago.
The promised Charter change however, did not materialize and the long Constitutionally-provided “stop to political dynasty” also went down the drain.
Today, the group of the former President is apparently using the same modus in trying to have men or women in the Senate to fulfill its mandate as “fiscalizer” of the Executive Department. And what else is the most convenient way without getting entangled with any election laws but hold protest cum prayer rallies where the speakers can harangue against the administration without abandon?
This time however, the “prayer warriors” cum rallyist-protestors are no longer talking of Charter change. They cannot risk being asked of their stand on political dynasty. After all what moral right have the “prayer warriors” to talk about that Constitutional provision when as the VP said, her father and two brothers are on their trail to the Senate? And with her still the Vice President what does that make of the intension to ban political dynasty in elective positions in government?
And the irony of it all is that the dreamed of political dynasty ban well-enshrined in the Constitution to be realized still needs an enabling legislation that will be crafted by Congress the members of which are people whose families have been dominating politics in their respective areas of influence for the longest time.
So, who are the politicians who are sincere enough to chain their ambition to hold until eternity their dominance in their sphere? Even the framers of the present constitution are not wanting in their desire to perpetuate their names in government in the pretext of service to the people.
******************************
How is the search of Pastor Apollo C. Qujiboloy now? Somehow, the talks about the law enforcers’ activities in tracking the religious leader’s whereabouts is fast losing its decibel after that controversial serving of the Pastor’s arrest warrants.
Given the present-day sophistication in tools that can assist law enforcers in snooping wanted persons we are not ready to believe that the trackers still remain clueless as to where the religious leader is “hibernating” with luxurious accommodation.
Think of these. Telephone calls can now be traced either from the caller side or that of the one being called. Withdrawals in banks even if these are done through automatic teller machines (ATM) can also be monitored as to the location of either the bank branch or the ATM..
Of course the lawmen have nothing to monitor from any Quiboloy transactions or call if the pastor has, since his flight, not made any electronic contact or withdrawn money from his accounts.
Or, are our law enforcers making a mockery of their organization by having the elusive pastor get out of their dragnet? We are asking only.
