IN a real war, organized resistance after a defeat takes a little while. During World War 2, when Hitler overrun Poland, France and the low countries in Europe, only Britain was left standing. The British isles, protected by the English Channel, became the lone European country to withstand continuous pummeling by Hitler. With the sea route from America, the Atlantic, eventually controlled by the Allied forces, Britain became the springboard from whence Europe was eventually liberated.

But what was really heroic was the home-grown resistance by the people in German-occupied Europe, particularly in France. La Resistance was in the early years of the occupation a motley group of Frenchmen who fought not only the German forces but also their own collaborationist Vichy regime in the “unoccupied” part of Southern France. The French resistance played a significant role in the eventual liberation not only of France but the whole European continent and eventually the defeat of the Nazi forces.

The analogy of a heroic World War 2 resistance in this article ends here. In the Philippines, we have today the formation of a so-called Resistance Coalition to the Duterte regime. This is ostensibly one that grew out of the traditional power alliance of the old political and economic elite, the oligarchy and the church. This group, mutant of the Yellow Army, is a permutation of the “same old, same old” led by remnants of the Liberal Party of the President PNoy faction.

This group has formed itself “…into an alliance of Liberal Party (LP), party-list groups, Akbayan and Magdalo, and Tindig Pilipinas…Sen Francis Pangilinan said (they) would highlight a number of issues against the administration” (DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 22,2018).

Resistance to DU30 started when he precipitated a political blitzkrieg that trounced the Liberal Party, majority of whom shamelessly gravitated to the PDP Laban, and who were likewise brazenly accepted. This is nobody’s fault really as our dysfunctional political system allows “turncoats and butterflies” to float toward the winning brand every time there is a change in administration. This sordid feature of a unitary presidential system is one reason we want a parliamentary federal system.

From the very start, the elite and the political cognoscenti did accept this brash promdi mayor from the south. Howevr, the masses love his foul-mouthed lingo, his demeanor and his populism. One third of the voters, mostly the masa, was enough to propel him to power. The rest is history.

No, we were not attacked by any outside force though in effect Duterte did the attacking. But what is the Resistance Coalition (ResCoal) resisting? To be fair, we have two opposing points of view. Naturally, the allies of the Deegong, the DDS and the fist pumpers would generalize proclaiming that ResCoal is simply resisting change (pagbabago), the rallying cry of candidate DU30 that propelled him to power. But it is not that simple.

ResCoal’s pique and disgust have always been directed toward the personality of PRRD, an uncouth politician and an outsider. But both sides want a solution to the proliferation of illegal drugs that has threatened to make the Philippines a narco-state. But the past administrations, particularly the PNoy regime, was never serious about eliminating it. Duterte never did mince words on his intent: “You destroy my country, I will kill you. You destroy our children, I will kill you!” The Deegong reduced the problem and solution to their simplest form. The Yellows, now out of power, want a different route; one that inputs into the equation, the safeguarding of human rights implemented through the government’s justice system.

This is where DU30 differs. For him, the past governments were corrupt and inept; and they spilt over to his regime. He must use every tool available at his fingertips. “But like any reforming politician, he faces a great tautology. The tool at hand to reform a corrupt state is a corrupt state.” (The Weekly Standard, Christopher Caldwell, May 22, 2018)

Foremost of these weak institutions is the corrupt police. Many are perceived to be partners of the drug lords and protectors of the dealers. But the Filipino masses, with their native wisdom perhaps understand this better than the elite, perforce handing PRRD 80 percent support. And the purging continues.

On another issue, ResCoal is crying out against “weaponizing” the Solicitor General, using the quo warranto case to smite CJ Sereno and quite possibly other DU30 enemies, instead of ousting her through impeachment. Here, the President understands the process only too well and will not go this course. It will be bloody expensive. The word in the street is that convicting the ousted chief justice would have cost billions of pesos, as PNoy showed in the Corona impeachment. The DAP funds paid to the jurist-senators bear witness to this.

Lastly, the ResCoal is condemning DU30 for kowtowing to China in the West Philippine Sea. This issue strikes close to the presidential psyche. His appreciation of China’s bullying act is seen through the prism of the Deegong as a bully too. His sees the encroachment of China on Philippine sovereignty as a “zero-sum-game” and blames, illogically, America: “…the moment to contest China’s occupation had been when it happened and that this was something only the Obama administration could have done. ‘At the time, who could have stopped it?’ (Duterte) asked. ‘Tell me. Philippine Navy? Marines? There would have been a massacre.’(Caldwell)

Right or wrong, the Deegong opted for a “build, build build” strategy. “His country needs train networks, roads, new factories, and mines for extracting its rich mineral resources… These are projects the United States has long been disinclined to pursue. Under the circumstances, it would be natural if the Philippines looked increasingly towards China, which has made ‘build, build, build’ the cornerstone of what it offers its allies, and less towards the United States, which in recent years has contented itself with ‘nag, nag, nag.’” (Caldwell)

The strategy by the Yellow Forces of re-inventing itself as the Resistance Coalition could yet become a legitimate tool to magnify the weaknesses of the regime, turn the masses around and arouse their passion against this interloper. Or they could all end up as a parody.

Vive la Resistance!000