Vice President Sara Duterte says she’s oppressed. Really now. See link: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/06/13/2362448/sara-uniteam-good-only-2022-polls#:~:text=“We%20are%20not%20candidates%20anymore,that%20she%20had%20lost%20weight.
When asked why she looks so slim, Vice President Sara Duterte described her situation as “oppressed.” For many, her remarks seem strange. Who would dare oppress the daughter of one of the most feared political figures in Philippine history, whose public service record reportedly includes killing hundreds if not thousands of fellow Filipinos reportedly engaged in the illicit drug trade, either as traders or unfortunate zombies? Zombies are what former president Rodrigo Duterte, Sara’s father, describes as drug dependents.
It is widely known that the Dutertes are one of the country’s most powerful and wealthiest political families. This is common knowledge among the people of Davao. They have maintained control over Davao for many years, and no business can operate there without the approval of the Dutertes. Because of this, many are skeptical of former president Rody Duterte’s claim that he lives a simple life in a bungalow outside the upscale area of Davao City. It is a widely understood fact that the Dutertes own properties throughout the region.
It’s surprising for someone as powerful as Sara to claim she’s oppressed. Could it be because she feels that even her publicly declared “best friend,” President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Junior, is distancing himself from her? As far as the President is concerned, Sara is still his friend. However, Sara herself has admitted that the UNiteam, which brought her and Bongbong Marcos to power, was only for election purposes and nothing more. Is this an admission that there’s no more love between her and her boss, the President? It seems so.
Liza Araneta-Marcos, the First Lady, publicly admitted that Vice President Sara is now persona non grata. You can’t fault the first lady because she’s a frank person. The fact is, Sara should be thankful for having such a “friend” or “acquaintance” like the First Lady who does not mince her words and tells you exactly who you are and what’s your real situation with her. If I’m asked, I want such a friend by my side everytime.
Liza was upset when she learned about Sara’s true feelings towards the Marcoses. Liza questioned Sara’s claim to be a friend while openly associating with family members who expressed strong animosity towards the government that Sara had pledged to serve. Liza expressed that having enemies might be preferable because, at least with enemies, their feelings are openly expressed.
Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim of oppression may stem from her growing political isolation. Her former political allies have abandoned her regional political party, Hugpong, and even her father’s party, the PDP-Laban, is now a mere shadow of its former self. This political isolation could be a source of her perceived oppression. And this may be true.
Political power in this country is held by those who hold the public purse, not just the public pulse. Sara knows that politicians need a constant supply of money to function, and these monies are sourced from commissions from government projects. If you are not influencing the giving of government contracts, you are nothing. And government contracts, everyone knows, are monopolized by a few power shakers and power movers. If these people see you as politically impotent, then, why will they give their support?
Many people say Sara can’t even retrieve her 150 million intelligence funds. How can she help others, like contractors or politicians, satisfy their hunger for public funds? Everyone already knows that Sara will continue to suffer from budgetary woes for the next three years, which will eventually make her a political pariah.
Unless China provides Sara with the funds, it’s a different situation altogether. Many members of the Chinese Communist Party are opposed to authoritarianism and the extreme right, the avowed ideological side of the Dutertes and their minions. While it may benefit them to support their own puppet in our government, if that person’s success is not guaranteed, why take the risk of providing funding?”
Worse for the vice president, the 2025 midterm elections are just around the corner. By October, political candidates will file their candidacies which means, before September 2024, Sara’s party must have its convention otherwise her party might encounter some technical questions.
Sara faces a clear dilemma: Can her political party find new national and local candidates after her grassroots network was destroyed? Will Hugpong or PDP-Laban be strong enough to challenge the ruling administration’s candidates, who are backed by political parties allied with the Marcos administration? Will they support Sara, especially since the vice president has been marginalized by this administration? Being “x-marked” means you’re out of the loop or far from the decision-making process.
Sara is referring to this “oppression”—her southward spiral towards political irrelevancy. Three years is a long way to go, and I remember former Speaker Jose de Venecia telling me that months or a year of politics is enough to change the lot of a Filipino politician.
The upcoming midterm election is crucial for Sara and the entire Duterte political syndicate. Why is it so important? For Sara to have a strong presidential campaign in 2028, she needs to have a majority of allies in the national and local political arenas. There are widespread speculations that this administration will aggressively target her candidates, making their political future uncertain.
“If Sara chooses to distance herself further from the Marcos administration, she may be risking her own political future. There are rumors that Sara will resign from her post as Education secretary. Everyone knows that such a decision will surely affect her chances in the 2028 elections. Without the DepEd post, Sara will lose a significant amount of power. It may be better for her to run for Davao mayor instead of risking her luck in a presidential campaign,” says a political analyst friend.
We are left with this question though—will her father save her from this potential ignominy? Saving Sara means the president dying or pro-China forces succeed in toppling the Marcoses from power. There are no other better options for the Dutertes.
The ones to blame for Sara’s predicament
The ones to blame for Sara’s present condition are pretty obvious—her father’s foolish advisers, particularly those who stayed behind expecting that the former president would still be strong enough to topple Marcos Junior after three or four years. Or they’re expecting a big chunk from the largesse the family got after six years in power. These people made the Dutertes believe that Marcos Junior was an easy target. They underestimated this president. They thought that he was lazy, not politically savvy, and foolish. Well, who are the real fools now?
Some argue that Sara herself is to blame. She believed she and her family were invincible political figures, similar to political royalties, immune to Father Time. Things would have been different if the Dutertes had acted like true patriots. I think God allowed these things to happen so that the people would see the Dutertes for who they really are.
I once believed that the Dutertes may have the clearest and most patriotic desire to uplift the condition of the Filipino People. I was wrong. Instead of being a “blessing,” the previous administration’s performance just proved to all that it was a curse.
There is, however, time to make amends. Again, the most obvious way for Sara to salvage her political career is to be true to the aspirations of the Filipino people. Fire all your advisers, particularly those close to your father who only use him for their own personal interests. Free yourself from China and Chinese influence since many Filipinos think you would probably sell the country to these Communist chinks the minute you ascend to power. Sara is still young, quite possibly serious, and sincere in her love for her country. Do the cleansing yourself and form a formidable team of highly patriotic Filipinos who truly and sincerely love this country and who are willing to die not for you, but for Inang Bayan. Maybe, just maybe, the One True God would anoint you, the next leader of this country, and lift you from your oppressive state.
