‘Family feud’

I am sure that some people are still picking up their jaws from the floor following the word war that degenerated into a cold war between the Duterte and Marcos camps this week. The unsavory verbal tussle between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former president Rodrigo Duterte, and the snubbing incident between Vice President Sara Duterte and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos later on, must have bemused the UniTeam supporters and amused the irrelevant administration detractors.

An associate of mine could not help but joke that the absence of a competent political opposition must have bored the Marcos and Duterte factions to death, which forced them to turn against each other. Levity aside, the current situation is far removed from the rapport PBBM and Inday, including their legion of followers, have developed since 2021.

When Inday Sara Duterte and I (as a political follower) decided to ally ourselves with the Marcoses in the 2022 general elections, we offended then-president Rodrigo Duterte. Sara was poised to become our third female head of state, based on pre-election surveys. Moreover, neither of us is a fan of the brutal regime of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. In high school, I became a staunch anti-Marcos activist. As a lawyer, I represented human rights victims of martial law. But the VP and I firmly believe that the sins and crimes of the father should never be ascribed to his son. For the record, Bongbong was never personally convicted of any rights abuses or graft by any Philippine or American court. We also took into consideration his executive and legislative experience. Thus, we stuck to our guns.

FPRRD got hurt by his daughter’s refusal to run as president in tandem with Senator Bong Go. He also expected me to be part of the PDP-Laban senatorial slate. Being the architect of her political career and prioritizing motherhood over the presidency, Sara willingly gave way to Apo Bongbong Marcos Jr. The rest is history. While I lost, Inday achieved a landslide vice presidential victory.

Therefore, I am relieved that in the face of a simmering ‘family feud,’ PBBM and Inday Sara have only good words for each other. They have built a strong partnership based on a shared governance vision of national interest over personal agenda. But after more than a year in office, some people close to the PBBM could no longer hide their lust for power. These are the same people who have propped the Marcos-Duterte tandem up and are now tearing it down. Obviously, Inday Sara has gotten the short end of the stick. She has been embarrassed, vilified and backstabbed by former allies and presidential relatives in the fractured UniTeam alliance since her public fallout with House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

To this day, the Vice President has remained loyal to the President. In my case, I have been both a critic and admirer of the Marcos administration. I still trust PBBM. I cannot say the same for some of the power-hungry individuals around him.

Amid her political persecution, not once has the VP publicly criticized the Chief Executive. As a UniTeam leader and Cabinet member, she respects the President’s position and the man himself. I must say the VP can act as a mediator between her family members and the President and the First Lady. I believe that Marcos is prudent enough to distinguish and dissociate the politics of Inday from that of FPRRD. He knows the VP values her independence and personal autonomy, so no one can dictate her political path. Not even her beloved father. 

Likewise, Inday has constantly reminded me to refrain from attacking PBBM. Despite my misgivings about his foreign policy pivot to America, as well as the government’s unsatisfactory response to the inflation and unemployment problems, the smuggling and hoarding issues in the agricultural sector and the incompetent officials in the transport sector, I have never spoken ill of him. In the same token, I heard from a source that the President’s directive to his underlings is “to always protect Sara.” This explains the failure of the impeachment moves, allegedly masterminded by the Speaker, against her.

So, how can the Marcos-Duterte rift be resolved? First, the families must have a frank, intimate but conciliatory sit-down meeting. The First Lady should participate in the conversation to clear the air between her and Inday Sara. In my opinion, giving the VP the cold shoulder does not do FLAM any favors. The VP continues to be the most approved highest official of the land and tops most presidential surveys. Meanwhile, the First Lady is not an elected official. She must keep in mind that Sara received an overwhelming mandate from the people in 2022. Giving respect to the VP is respecting the 32 million Filipinos who voted her into power.  

Second, I urge the President to put in writing his official stand on the preliminary investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the drug war campaign. Frankly, one reason why the Duterte family is raising hell is because of a statement from Justice Secretary Boying Remulla that his department is open for cooperation with the Court based on House Resolution 1477. The Speaker, who happens to be Boying’s fraternity brother, is reportedly behind this. (Take note that the Senate has yet to issue a concurrent resolution.) Mayor Digong and Inday have been identified by alleged victims’ representatives as involved in the extralegal killing of drug suspects from 2011-2019. Strangely, dubious witnesses began linking Sara to the case after the latter’s spectacular election victory.     

It is imperative for PBBM to issue a memorandum circular directing all Executive agencies to desist from coordinating and assisting any personnel from the Hague Court. The presidential issuance would serve as evidence that the Philippine government does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction over crimes against humanity of murder committed in Philippine territory. Being a former state party to the Rome Statute, the Marcos government is not obligated to cooperate with any ICC-related procedure or process. Otherwise, it would be an egregious violation of our sovereignty and a mockery of our functioning judicial system.

Third, I appeal to the President to order his presidential cousin and congressional allies to stop facilitating and sponsoring the PIRMA initiative. The electorate in all legislative districts deserves to undergo an informed and meaningful consultation process vis-à-vis amending the 1987 Constitution. Bribing or stampeding them into signing forms desecrates the essence of a genuine people’s initiative. I also share the fear of FPRRD that conscienceless politicos would use the Charter change undertaking to further entrench themselves in power. Again, I appeal to the President to replace the current Speaker with a more mature, seasoned statesman.