They forced her out of the Department of Education. They smeared her with the confidential fund “anomaly” every step of the way. They made life difficult for the people of her beloved Davao City. They impeached her. They demonized her family. They kidnapped her father and fed him to the International Criminal Court
An ordinary mortal would have cried “Enough!” at the first sign of betrayal. But Vice-President Sara Duterte is no ordinary mortal, so she bided her time and waited for the right opportunity.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was at his most vulnerable when she made her move. The controversy surrounding the still-unexplained death of the scion of one of the richest families in the country in the company of First Lady Liza Marcos refuses to die down. His performance ratings have plunged to an all time low. Foreign governments have issued travel advisories to their citizens, effectively bursting the bubble of his administration’s propaganda machine that heaped all of the blame for the bad publicity on fake news and trolls.
When the first sign of cheating in overseas voting emerged, Vice President Sara made her move. First, she endorsed the reelection bid of Sen. Imee Marcos just as the latter’s committee opened its investigation into the highly controversial and questionable rendition of fPRRD. Even before the country could recover from the initial shock of the first endorsement, Vice-President Inday followed it up with another for Rep. Camille Villar, the daughter of former Speaker and Senate President Manuel Villar and Sen. Cynthia Villar.
Perhaps stunned both by the brazenness and the timing, PBBM chose to pass instead of making a countermove. It’s not every day that a member of the official line-up of the administration ticket – much less the President’s own flesh and blood – abandons the ship less than a month before the election. More than that, the virtual defection of the Villars leaves a lot of questions that would demand more from the administration than the opposition in the days ahead.
The twin moves were not without resistance in the anti-Marcos camp. The opposition is not without merit. It was Sen. Imee who prevailed upon Vice-President Inday to be her brother’s running mate in 2022. Many Duterte loyalists have not forgiven her for that. The Villars have their share of critics therefore Camille’s entry obviously is not without suspicion.
“Sa panahon ngayon, kailangan tunay na kaibigan,” the VP said in the 15-second clip endorsing Villar. There won’t be a shortage of critical reaction, but she has made up her mind.
The Vice-President was even more graphic in explaining her push for Imee: “Itim ang kulay ng pakikiramay.” With what is happening in the country, that line is self-explanatory.
The long-term effects of the twin endorsements will be debated for a long time. Vice-President Inday, however, does not seem inclined to explain her decision. No one will argue that she has to bite the bullet. It is not just about her political survival, which should be the last thing on the mind of the only top official who enjoys a comfortable approval rating. It is not just the liberty of her father although that is an urgent priority. It is the slow but sure sinking of a nation that had reasons to be optimistic during her father’s presidency but cut short first by the pandemic and then expiration of his term in 2022.
No one whose heart and mind are in the right places would not lose sleep over the current state of the country and it would only be a matter of time before desperation creeps in.
In Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo revealed that “the way of the Samurai is in desperateness.”
“Ten men or more cannot kill such a man. Common sense will not accomplish great things. Simple become insane and desperate,” Tsunetomo pointed out. Did VP Inday read his book, or is it just the natural course of things?
What is clear about this time is that because of the raid of the administration, two of the biggest names at that, the tide has turned. What started out as a rag-tag band that resembled a suicide squad more than a senatorial slate has instantly turned into a powerhouse. In one fell swoop, anti-Marcos fanatics have the luxury of filling all 12 slots. Of course, there are those who value their independence to insert two or three outside of VP Inday’s Magic 12.
FPPRD had earlier made an impassioned plea, more of an ultimatum actually when he said: “kalimutan nyo na ako kung hindi nyo susuportahan yung PDP (senatorial slate) ko.” VP Inday did not violate that wish because she merely added two of her own to his original 10.
At peace after delivering the twin blows, VP Inday now enjoys the luxury of going on a mini-tour patterned after her “Mahalin Nating Ang Pilipinas” Ride in 2022, sans the fleet that announced her coming but drawing in the crowds like never before.
In the meantime, PBBM and his think-tanks are desperately trying to still a ship that is limping towards the homestretch. With former Sen. Manny Pacquiao now openly campaigning only for three stalwarts of the opposition, it comes as no surprise that what started out as a powerhouse has turned into a sitting duck.
Whether it’s a samurai strike or a lucky counterpunch, there is no denying that the two gaping holes that VP Sara drilled under the belly of the administration slate are here to stay.
#DutertePaRin
#BringPRRDHome
