Just when people were starting to ask what’s going to happen next, Vice President Inday Sara Duterte lands a powerful haymaker to the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
By now, photos of the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte with Sen. Imee Marcos and Rep. Camille Villar have gone viral on social media to partly answer the question.
It is more than a PR stunt. It is a public confirmation of a crack that spells big trouble more for BBM’s administration ticket more than the underdog DuterTen. From here on, there will be no 12-0 sweep to speak of.
Even without uttering a word, it means burning bridges between Imee and BBM. Whether it’s for real or merely an elaborate sequel to the infamous 2022 scam that she engineered between her brother and VP Inday, only future events can tell. There are more than enough skeptics to keep the fires of suspicion burning so it’s premature to assume that this will translate to Imee’s victory.
Camille and the Villars’ move to abandon BBM’s sinking ship is not entirely unexpected. The sharp decline of BBM’s popularity and the fact that the Duterte and Villar families have a shared history is too much to disregard. Like Imee’s political fortunes, it’s too early to tell if Inday’s endorsement would suffice to turn Camille’s winning chances for the better.
There is no question, however, that the twin desertion has dealt a fatal psychological blow to BBM and his ticket. Imee and the Villars are no political virgins. They know a sinking ship when they see one. They know that timing is crucial and they didn’t allow this one to slip away.
With the boat tilting to a dangerous angle even more with the two desertions, it is natural to expect the 10 remaining Alyansa candidates to assess their own chances of survival. Never in recent memory has an administration ticket virtually raise its hands up in surrender by aborting its campaign sorties this early because of the Duterte chants that are getting louder at each venue. The last thing it needs is a public announcement that two of their erstwhile teammates have crossed over to the enemy.
Will Imee and Camille be the last? There are still 28 days to go as of this writing. Enough for everyone to lose sleep. How could anyone forget what BBM did to fPRRD and VP Inday? If he betrayed the two people who contributed most to his election and his family’s chance at redemption, who is to say he won’t do the same to the 10 just because they remained?
Judas is dead, but treachery is not. It did not stop with the first Holy Week. Without equivocation, it won’t stop just because BBM and Speaker Martin Romualdez want VP Sara impeached at all cost. The head of the next victim is already being chopped off even before he or she is aware of it.
It is true that there are grumblings within the Duterte forces over this. The explanation will have to wait. It cannot be denied though that no family has suffered political persecution more than the Dutertes. They should be the last to forget the betrayal that brought them all these.
There is little doubt though that VP Inday landed a haymaker to the belly of the Alyansa juggernaut. It may not be fatal, but there is no doubt that Alyansa – and more so BBM – will never be the same.
