ONCE ALLIES In the 2022 elections, the continuous conflict between the Marcos and Duterte dynasties has become an unsettling show that both fascinates and irritates the Filipino people.
What the voters [at least the 31 million of them] bought—a union of strong political forces supposedly for the good of the country—has now turned into a public spat rife with finger-pointing, threats, and personal attacks.
Those who voted for “unity” would not lose any irony in their alliance disintegrating into such sharp telenovela-like conflict. Nevertheless, in all its turmoil, this conflict could unintentionally help the ordinary Filipino by making us face political power realities and hold those in charge more responsible.
Sara Duterte exposes a degree of hypocrisy in both camps by targeted attacks on Ferdinand Marcos Jr., including her infamous threat to exhume Marcos Sr.’s remains. At least on Duterte’s side, the conflict seems to be a ploy to deflect criticism of her own shortcomings and scandals—including charges of incompetence in her roles as Vice President and (former) Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd). She deflects the cries of public money wasted and power abuse, and changes the focus by criticizing Marcos. However, this approach also invites more criticism of her leadership and begs doubts among voters about the actual motives behind her public outbursts.
For Filipino voters, this conflict offers much-needed introspection. Now exposed as hollow rhetoric are Duterte and Marcos’ promises of unity, development, transparency, and accountability for 2022. The nation is still struggling with political strife, economic woes, learning crises, and claims of poor governance almost three years into the terms of each respective leader.
We are left to question whether the unity they promised during the campaign was ever real or if it was merely a catchphrase meant to get votes as they threw spicy punches against each other two years later. The very public character of this conflict drives their supporters to consider why they first voted for them and whether they would make the same decision in 2025.
Furthermore, this conflict has revealed the extreme incompetence and governance flaws between the camps. While Duterte is shown as erratic and unstable, particularly with her so-called “prima donna” approach toward governance, Marcos Jr. is shown, to the least by the Dutertes and their cohorts, as a president devoid of leadership qualities.
Long voiced by the real opposition, these grievances are now being confirmed by the very same people who used to be buttering each other up and singing each other’s praises. Now, the voters—especially those who support these pseudo-leaders—have to face the results of their decisions. If anything, this conflict supports the opposition’s worries by stressing the need for wisdom in the next elections.
The conflict also unintentionally benefits the genuine opposition in the House and Senate. The dirty laundry between Duterte and Marcos creates chances for the truth to emerge. Now opposing one another, the two political giants are currently exposing and will continue to expose the skeletons buried in their separate closets.
This could result in more transparency since their attempts to discredit one another could unintentionally reveal the corruption and incompetence critics long suspected. This degree of transparency—even if accidental—can help the nation’s quest for truth and justice in a political environment too often veiled in cloak-and-dagger with deception, fraud, and misdirection. (To be continued)/PN
