What is happening to our country? Where is too much freedom in a democratic country like the Philippines leading the country to?
We are not asking this question to the President, or the immediate past President. We are instead throwing the question at the lap of the Filipino people.
Yes, why are we not giving the country and its government a breather to evolve into what it is aspiring for? Why is the diversity of the Filipinos’ political orientation being allowed to nip in the bud all the efforts of government to rise from the ashes of the economically disastrous pandemic?
We are saying this without fear of contradiction that in both sides of the political fence there
exist intriguers out to create a wedge between the contending parties. And if those who are on
either side of the fence will allow themselves to be stoked without weighing the reasons,
chances are their subsequent actions could topple the foundation of the nation. What with
languages used in dealing with issues of governance already so wanting in sobriety!
All these could lead many to ask the question: “What happened to the much ballyhooed
UniTeam of the now seemingly political war protagonists, the Dutertes and the Marcoses?”
When the Marcos, Jr. and Sara Duterte tandem was swept to victory by a whirlwind of several
million votes, everybody was optimistic that the country can weather all the “storms” on the
way to its recovery and likely to even surpass the Filipinos’ aspiration.
But it appears that in only less than two years of the political “romance” the once close
partners are now gathering stone boulders with which to throw at each other.
Of course we have noted that some of the boulders thrown could also boomerang on the
thrower. And these stones can easily be distinguishable by the more observant Filipinos.
One is the claim of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte that the incumbent President was in
the list of persons in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA’s) watch list shown him
when he was mayor.
But given his no-nonsense implementation of his anti-illegal drugs campaign during his
administration many could be wondering why now President Marcos, Jr. was never “flagged”?
And somehow FPRRD had apparently given his blessing for the creation of the UniTeam with
daughter Sara and BBM.
Of course the people are aware that as a former prosecutor FPRRD knows that the mere
inclusion of one’s name in a list of possible drug users is far from enough to charge him or her
with any drug-related crime. And there is no doubt it could the reason BBM had not been
touched by the Duterte’s iron hand anti-illegal drugs campaign.
On the other hand, the President, while trying not to be identified as subtly behind the
solicitation with “incentive” for signature for a “People’s Initiative” scheme for a Charter
change is seemingly exposing his role by having the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Rep. Martin Romualdez to be always on his side every time there are occasions for his
appearance in public. Romualdez in fact is much more a Presidential photo bomber than
Marcos, Jr.’s Special Assistant.
So the President can be likened to a nail having its entire body buried and be hidden but its
head exposed in the process.
And adding to the puzzle is the “closeness” of the former President’s daughter Vice President
Sara Duterte to Presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos. Sara in one of her media interviews
shortly before President Marcos left for Vietnam categorically declared that she still trust the
President can do the job demanded of him by the Presidency. That was in clear contrast to
what his younger brother the Mayor of Davao City claimed of what Marcos Jr. is. And she was
also designated as government caretaker in his absence.
On the other hand Senator Imee has not been mincing words in disparaging her cousin the
speaker for his alleged role in initiating the gathering of voters’ signatures all over the country
using government money.
Her position as well as that of the entire Senate is aligned with the anti-charter sentiment now
espoused by the former President and VP Sara’s father.
Whatever is the reason of this political gobbledygook, we can only hazard to assume.
But our fervent hope is that when the political war drums get silent whatever is its outcome will
redound to the benefit of the nation, not its destruction.
