The road to the Presidency is a dangerous one. What is apparent is that the present Marcos administration and the remnants of the Liberal Party are aligning their goals to remove what they think is the main obstacle towards the perpetuation of power, or political redemption, depending on whose side of the fence one belongs to. Like her father, Vice President Sara Duterte possesses the strength to face all that her political adversaries are trying to throw at her, including this impeachment case.
Indeed, it’s “the best of times,” and also “the worst of times,” to quote from Charles Dickens. The good thing about it is knowing the real color of people and who you can trust when the tough times are ahead. The hard part of it are the troubles and battles that lie ahead knowing that your enemies will move heaven and earth out there to get you.
But nothing is new here. When President Benigno Aquino III or PNOY won the presidency, he made it his presidential mission to go after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. GMA, the former president, was incarcerated not because of corruption, but due to an election related issue. However, GMA was able to recalibrate and bring herself back into the big stage, even brokering the union between the House of Marcos and the House of Duterte, now dissolved.
Former President Joseph Estrada also had his many controversies before he was forsaken by his party mates and eventually removed from office through People Power 2. An act that the Supreme Court interpreted as an abandonment of his position and mandate, President Estrada left Malacanang Palace at the height of the protests, mostly by members of the elite in Philippine society, including those in civil society who portrayed themselves as advocates of morality. Soon, they would realize that Erap’s predecessor, Mrs. Arroyo, wasn’t the kind of President that they wanted after all.
PNOY was elected into office because former President Cory Aquino died. Cory, of course, was an icon of democracy around the world. The Philippines was the first to teach modern societies the idea of People Power, although non-violent protest has been a principle lived by and used to achieve political change by Mahatma Gandhi in India and Nelson Mandela in South Africa. Filipinos felt nostalgic when Cory died and this catapulted PNOY into power. He campaigned on the promise of moral reform.
President Rodrigo Duterte won on the platform that he will correct the historical injustices against Mindanao. For the longest time, progress had been concentrated in the capital. Mindanao was neglected. The former president put the country on the global map. He fought the elite and US influence in Philippine affairs. “Bisaya na pud” simply meant that it is high time to give a voice to the underrepresented in Philippine politics and society.
The Uniteam is no longer, although the marriage was one of the most formidable coalitions in the country’s history. Yet, it should be noted that the forces doing battle right now are not just the house of Marcos and the house of Duterte. Still, the contestation in Philippine society and democracy has remained – the elite against the poor, Mindanao versus Imperial Manila, and the Bisaya against the Tagalogs. Politics is not simply about right and wrong. A lot of it has something to do with our sentimental attachments.
The road to the Presidency hence is a difficult one. This is why becoming President is not just about resources or popularity. It is destiny. Right now, the main actors are simply being tested in terms of how they can overcome the challenges and risks confronting them. The Filipino people deserve that one person who can face up to all these troubles and be their leader as the country seeks to improve the lives of its people.
Heraclitus said it before – “character is destiny.” But I’d rather subscribe to Machiavelli’s admonition: “A lion cannot protect himself from traps and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten wolves.” One who is neither a lion nor a wolf cannot become the President.
