THE whole Marcos bureaucracy has now descended upon the Dutertes, worse than Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (Trami) that ravaged the countryside. Mainstream media are inundated by various Senate and House hearings that started several months back. The "pasakalye," or opening gambit, was Marcos allowing the investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the core initiatives of the Deegong administration, a vital part of Duterte's legacy, arresting the country's slide into a narco-state. Marcos' acts presaged the breakup of the UniTeam that propelled BBM to the presidency. These harsh methods were applied successfully in Davao, where he was mayor for almost three decades.

True, he has gotten rid of illegal drugs and drug lords and made the city crime-free and relatively peaceful — analogous to the proverbial stillness of the graveyard. But for the Davaoeños, who suffered all types of violence during the dark days of the martial law regime and the leftist and communist insurgency, making Davao its laboratory — it was worth the blood of evil men. We were tolerant. But the Deegong's formula failed when he translated his homegrown solution into the national stage when he became president and instituted the "tok-tok hangyo" or "tokhang" initiative — a house-to-house campaign against illegal drugs, resulting in deadly collateral damage, the reprehensible extra-judicial killings (EJKs) currently under ICC investigation. BBM's seeming cooperation and tacit blessing for the ICC prompted the Duterte clan — particularly the Duterte boys — to clamor for BBM to step down from Malacañang. But Duterte's accusation of BBM being an addict himself was unacceptable, particularly to the first lady — the last straw that broke the camel's back. So today, the battlelines are drawn between two political dynasties ("Clash of dynasties," The Manila Times, March 4, 2024) and the control of power by 2025 and beyond.

Senate-House hearings

If one tunes in on TV today, YouTube and social media, a Filipino teleserye is on stream, rivaling those of any on Netflix. It started with the innocuous hearing on the alleged Chinese sleeper agent, Mayor Alice Guo, POGO and the proliferation of illegal drugs that were later linked to the Duterte administration — his people in the Bureau of Customs, police, and other government bureaucracy — and implicating even his son, Congressman Pulong. But the House, controlled by the speaker, Martin Romualdez, backed by the powerful first lady, Liza ("The woman DDS love to hate," TMT, Oct. 2, 2024), upped the ante, dragging in VP Sara, Martin's bete noire and rival for the 2028 presidency. The teleserye heightened with the roasting of VP Sara on her presumed alleged anomalies during the budget hearings. Sara didn't have a chance, with barely a handful of congressional allies against the minions of Romualdez. This was expanded to an inquisition-like ad-hoc structure of four committees on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, human rights and public accounts, consolidated into a single incongruously named quad committee, akin to the Inquisition of old, presided over by a set of Grand Inquisitors. And these hearings, purportedly "in aid of legislation," are clearly ordained to burn the father at the stake and implicate the daughter for the killings and transgressions of the past.

The beleaguered Sara, with no recourse, obliged her inquisitors with her outrageous two-hour rant on media, deflecting temporarily, it seems, accusations of her alleged anomalies during the budget hearing — which some columnists and allies of the BBM-Liza-Martin tandem described as a "meltdown." But was it?

Method to her madness

VP Sara may have learned a thing or two from her father. One is the propensity to change the face of the issue. In his time, the Deegong often did this with his long peroration and press conferences as diversionary tactics deflecting attention from controversies with indelicate claims of the length and potency of his manhood. Sara, with more finesse, has learned her lessons well from the master with her frontal criticism of BBM as "one who doesn't know how to be president," giving his administration a rating of 1 — on a scale of 10. And to add color to her language, she threatened "to dig up the Marcos cadaver from the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani and throw the same to the West Philippine Sea." Gross, yet effective in grabbing control of the narrative. Indeed, there is a method to her madness! Thus, her meltdown in some ways was intentional, not far from the image portrayed of Malacañang's "polvoronic couple," snorting cocaine during their parties or whatever illegal drugs BBM was handed and pocketed in full view of cameras during one of Malacañang's public gatherings.

End game

But despite these deflections and temporary respite, the Marcoses, with Martin and Liza, are clearly in control and on track to wreak havoc on the remnants of the Duterte political structure. Quiboloy, the religious charlatan, an accused pedophile and the partner of the Deegong, has been practically neutered and could suffer through the long process of the Marcos-controlled justice system. Failing that, there is the likelihood of a US extradition. And their mouthpiece and propaganda machine, the SMNI, is now voiceless and castrated.

The quad hearings and the sustained crucifixion of the Dutertes and cohorts will continue to erode Sara's popularity — the remaining viable Duterte who, like Imee Marcos, her erstwhile ally, are the true replicas of their fathers, Macoy and the Deegong. The planned impeachment of Sara by the lower house at this point will no longer hold traction as the Senate will now hunker down into electing old and tired names who, by the very nature of our dysfunctional politics, will produce the next "presidentiables" to compete with Martin and Sara.

In this coming 2025 senatorial fight, the Deegong's team is being decimated, with Bong Go, the one true believer, left vying for one of the slots. Turncoat Tolentino is now with the Marcos camp, a long shot in winning his post back; Imee is neither here nor there, and Senator Bato may lose his seat and be impaled in the ICC-EJK investigations. The rest are also-rans with Quiboloy in the slate, hoping a win as senator will insulate him from the justice system — just like Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, who were imprisoned yet have gone scot-free.

So, the old, tired names will be back. Our election system and culture give premium to popular personalities, actors, influencers, and branded names with tons of cash, either legitimately or illegally acquired. We may find under the Marcos camp the re-electionists — Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla and Imee Marcos, who repudiated her brother's team, and old names, Ping Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Tito Sotto and Camille Villar, substituting for Mommy Cynthia. Same old, same old!

In this coming election, the triumvirate is in control. And in dismantling the Duterte structure, their Davao base is imperative. Here, the Marcoses and Martin Romualdez have initiated a coup of sorts, letting loose a budding dynasty — the scion of that much-vilified cousin and erstwhile ally of the Deegong turned mortal enemy, former speaker Prospero "Boy" Nograles, now deceased. Former Duterte Cabinet member Karlo and sister lawyer Migs, a party-list representative, will contest in a mano-a-mano the sons of the Deegong.

To be continued next week

Third of a series

IMEE did the unexpected. She opted out of BBM's administration alliance senatorial lineup. To refresh our memories, with former president GMA, Imee, the chief strategist, conceptualized the 2022 UniTeam, propelling BBM and Sara to victory. Imee sold the idea to former president Duterte, who was not keen on having his daughter run as BBM's vice president. The Deegong wanted Sara to run for president and confront BBM "mano-a-mano." The headstrong daughter Sara prevailed. Thus, was forged the strong sisterhood of Imee and Sara.

The UniTeam was an alliance of two political dynasties. "One from the old, discredited dynasty from the North out to regain its preeminence established by its patriarch half a century ago when Ferdinand Sr. sought to restructure Philippine society through his martial law regime. They were booted out 38 years ago by the now defunct dynasty that failed to sustain its hold on power but gave birth serendipitously to the current dynasty from the South — the Dutertes — (starting from) when Cory Aquino appointed the Deegong to the lowly post of Davao City OIC vice mayor


The Cojuangco-Aquino dynasty had no sons and daughters in positions of power, unlike the Marcos and Duterte clans. These families understand only too well the path to dominance and what it takes to get there — the sheer determination to accumulate raw power, wealth and pelf and the distribution of largesse to its allies, blind loyalty only to its own, and destruction of its rivals and perceived enemies." ("Clash of dynasties," The Manila Times, March 6, 2024)

This was perhaps very clear to Imee, that the path to rehabilitating her father's image was through an alliance with the Dutertes through Sara. But this partnership, by its very nature, was ephemeral at best. Imee's vision may have been for the two forces from the North and South to co-exist politically. But it was not to be.

Antecedents

The UniTeam's break-up weighed heavily on Imee as she is now caught in the middle — between a rock and a hard place — between the Marcos and Duterte dynasties' fight for political dominance in the coming years, perhaps even generations. But the background to this is a compelling study in internal family dynamics.

In a family steeped in Filipino tradition, we follow the concept of primogeniture — the oldest child has preeminence over the younger siblings; Imee, the oldest, is by rights the custodian of the family legacy. The Marcos literature is steeped in BBM, the spoiled one being the only male as Imelda's favorite. Imee was the father's. But more importantly, earlier in their youthful years, Imee displayed the brains and the street smarts Macoy was predisposed to. The female version of Ferdinand Sr. And the hard-headedness as shown when she defied mother Imelda on her dalliance with Tommy Manotoc (divorced from Au-au Pijuan, though Dominican Republic divorces are unrecognized in the Philippines).

'Maid in Malacañang'

This film, produced by Imee, is a fictional tale of the last three days in Malacañang during the EDSA People's Power Revolution of 1986. This provided the backdrop of the relationship of the siblings, "Ate" Imee and "Ading" BBM. Bongbong was depicted as the weak, groveling son seeking the approbation of a beleaguered father, while Imee was shown as the stronger older sister who held the family together before their exile. In a critique of the movie, Direk Cirilo has this to say: "...the movie and its depiction of BBM [was] the worst negative ad campaign against the president-elect, but the most honest opinion of BBM as a man."

This description did not sit well with BBM's spouse Liza — a fiercely protective mother hen — perhaps one of the many incidents that widened the rift between the sisters-in-law, a common occurrence in many family disputes.

Imee and Liza

These two strong-willed, powerful women in-laws could have exacerbated the rift between the two political dynasties. Imee's soul-sister Sara became anathema to Liza in that famous "bangag" incident ("Clash of dynasties," TMT, March 6, 2024). And Imee's continued loyalty to Sara is unacceptable to the influential Malacañang occupant, Liza. Despite the public display of family unity, Imee was persona non grata to Liza's Malacañang. If rumors are to be believed, not one of Imee's recommendations for a sinecure for her allies passed Liza's scrutiny. They never reached BBM's desk for approval and appointment. Again, if rumors are to be believed.

Senatorial fight in 2025

If one examines BBM's senatorial lineup, one sees an anthology of traditional politicians (trapos), tired old ex-senators longing for a comeback, questionable senators with records of corruption but sanitized with electable branded names, dregs and discards of old Marcos-Duterte alliance. Strangely, with the kind of party politics existing in the country today, to be included in the administration line-up with the huge logistics and presidential patronage, the chance of winning a seat is a real possibility. Imee's decision to go independent is puzzling at best.

An enigma, Imee was proselytizing about "a path and principles of my father," declaring, "... as his eldest, I choose to stand free and firm, like him, in believing that there should be no allegiance but to the Filipino people... It is never easy to stand alone in campaigns and politics... But that is the legacy my father left me, the legacy of 'Apo Lakay'... I chose to stand alone so that my 'adding' (sibling) would no longer be put in a difficult position, and my true friends won't hesitate. I choose to remain free and loyal — not to any group but to every Filipino." And in a very personal but maudlin way... "Thirty-five years ago, I made a promise to honor his life's work by building on this foundation. In some way, I hope that I have made you proud, Dad. We miss you every day."

Translation

I am not privy to the senator's thought process and, therefore, am unable to fathom her statements. But my experience with politicians and years of divining their actuations allow me the aptitude to translate her elegant, but to many incoherent, peroration.

Imee's friendship with Sara is true and deep. Upon crafting the UniTeam in 2022, there must have been an unspoken arrangement for Sara's turn at the presidency in 2028. It was a fair quid pro quo that may not have met the ambitions of the other dramatis personae. For one, the Marcos family must have felt that six years of BBM's term was not enough to rehabilitate Macoy's image or resurrect his legacy. None among them can take the cudgels after BBM. Liza's children are as yet unripe. Enter, therefore, the billionaire and self-proclaimed surrogate, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, out to pervert the Constitution with a revision favoring his position under a parliamentary system of government — as prime minister. An abomination to Senator Imee.

Imee, caught between her friendship with Sara and sympathy for the Dutertes and loyalty to BBM, may have no other recourse but to tread a middle path — not with her brother's, Martin's, and Liza's party, not with the Deegong's, but to go it alone as an independent. A heroic stand, a political suicide or simply what the old Filipinos call — amor propio!