Since 2025, when news of the staggering 1-trillion-peso large-scale theft came to public consciousness, many of us weren’t surprised.

At the back of our minds, when the son of the holder of the biggest thievery of public funds in the Guinness Book of World Records won the presidency, we somewhat expected some of the old practices to rear their ugly heads.

After all, the inheritor of the Marcos brand was extremely blunt—he wanted redemption. His sister, Imee, was even more forthright—their family had waited forty years for this, and with them back at the helm of power, no one’s gonna stop them now.

And our greatest fears came precisely true.

We saw how they used their newly acquired power first to formalize the family’s ownership of billions of dollars and expensive jewelry obtained during their 14-year reign as Malakas and Maganda.

Not just that, this president even traveled to different countries as part of a worldwide plan to re-acquire properties previously identified as belonging to the Filipino people. And now all the money from taxes, collected from the blood, sweat, and tears of the Filipino, is owned by just one family.

The redemption came at a steep price. Yet, for the sake of political peace, we, every single one of us, turned off our instincts and just went along with it.

Better a Marcos than a repeat of Duterte, we dare say.

Yes, that’s what we had in our subconscious for many years.

Yet when we saw how the daughter of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte displayed arrogance far too rich for our taste, we realized that we, as Filipinos, have tolerated these family dynasties and oligarchs for too long, sacrificing our resources, our futures, and those of our children for political peace.

The sheer, thick-faced arrogance Sara showed when asked about her use of intelligence funds is already a dangerous sign of what would become of our country the minute she assumes power. Her braggadocio, her disregard for decency, and her wanton, almost reckless view on the lowly value of the life of an ordinary Filipino made us cringe, but not afraid.

We all know how unkind history is to those who abuse their God-given powers.
The political dynasties have gotten fatter, bolder, and more fearless. They exploit our generosity and kindness. They even have the gumption to turn the laws against us while protecting themselves from accountability.

Worse, they even acquired the God-given power over life, using as justification the failed campaign against drugs. More than really neutralizing the syndicates behind the drug menace, the bloody campaign was used as a signaling instrument, that the state is ready to kill everyone who would stand in its way.

And we all succumbed to it, not just the 6,000 souls that the state slaughtered in the name of societal peace.

Sara Duterte is the living and breathing symbol of a political dynasty gone rogue. She is not just a brat—she’s also an intellectual brute, a dangerous combination for a person who has already assumed godship without the requisite qualifications and title award.

Unfortunately, the slight hope that everybody harbored for a time, that she was a better version of his father, came crashing down the minute that video of her cursing every Filipino and vowing harm upon her political enemies flashed before our TV and phone screens.

The Dutertes are very dangerous because they think that every single penny from the public treasury is theirs for personal taking, just because of the title or position they hold.

They also think that the people themselves confer this privilege on them, proof of the silence the people kept. At the same time, they systematically slaughtered ordinary Filipinos in a drug war gone haywire.

Thank God, we saw earlier on, the real nature and character of the Dutertes—they are not different from the other warlords, former president Marcos senior took care of during his martial law reign, no.

The Dutertes have assumed godship over 110 million Filipinos, 85 percent of whom are Roman Catholics.

Now, we face a monumental decision at this most critical juncture in our history as a people.

The obvious and most effective choice now is to reject all political families-these dynasties that have replaced our colonial masters, starting with the Marcoses and the Dutertes, and to believe in our power to change the course of our nation.

Doing nothing and just letting the Marcoses, Romualdezes, the Cos, and other corrupt figures finish their terms in 2028 is like allowing thieves to ransack our homes and walk free, which is an injustice to us all.

Letting off the Marcoses, Romualdezes, the Cos, and other personalities without accountability is a betrayal of our collective integrity and a mockery of our justice as Filipinos.

Just because Marcos’s successor is another thief, Sara Duterte, doesn’t mean we should allow them to continue managing our affairs.

It is time these thieves answer before us, the people.

The treatment we agreed to in the aftermath of both EDSAs—in 1986 and 2001—no longer applies. When we allowed those cronies to go into exile, without a single thief sent to the gallows, we did wrong.

We sent a clear message to those cronies—we forgive you, don’t do it again. But they did steal many times over, and this time it’s not just billions we lost—these brutes stole nearly 2 trillion pesos.

God is giving us a crucial chance to redeem our country and secure our future; this is the moment to act and make it right.

Make the Marcoses and the Dutertes account for the large-scale plunder and corruption they inflicted on us, the People. They need to answer for their sins, and if it is necessary to impose the People’s Justice on them, let the anvil fall.

When all of these are over, expect a better country with an elite that is disciplined. Otherwise, let all be damned.