Breakdown of Civilized Rules.
Facing a barrage of impeachment threats, VP Sara Duterte declared her run for the presidency last week.
Analysts suggest this isn’t just a career move. It’s a warning shot to Congress. By declaring early, she is reminding the Senate and the House that they aren’t just looking at a Vice President. They’re looking at their potential future boss.
But here is the catch: a warning only works if you have the firepower to back it up. If her survey ratings dip or her influence wanes, this declaration won’t be a shield. It will simply turn
her into a sitting duck in a high-stakes shooting gallery.
Declaring two years ahead of time might be a tactical blunder. Many believe the VP has just handed her rivals a two-year head start to calibrate their sights. Remember Jejomar Binay? The moment he went public with his ambitions, the floodgates opened, and the exposés didn’t stop until he was out of the race.
Tito Gonz Duque argues, however, that this early posturing won’t change the intensity of the attacks against her. His point? She’s been the primary target of a demolition job for three years and is still standing tall in the polls. He’s not wrong.
In the arena of Philippine politics, being the “underdog under fire” often acts as a force multiplier for popularity rather than a deterrent.
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The internet is currently buzzing with the story of Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando allegedly receiving some “physical discipline” from a powerful political figure. The catalyst? An alleged display of road arrogance by the Governor and his bodyguards on the NLEX, which accidentally targeted a presidential son.
The public reaction hasn’t been a call for due process. It has been a chorus
of “Buti nga” (Serves him right).
Netizens are openly praising an illegal act of “street justice” because it targeted someone they perceive as untouchable. Even some lawyers, the supposed gatekeepers of the rule of law, seem to be nodding in quiet approval.
This raises a chilling question: Why do we acquiesce to this extrajudicial discipline, yet put our foot down when it comes to the extrajudicial killings of the drug war?
The difference lies in the subject. The victims of EJKs are often the “small fry” of the streets. The Governor, however, is no pitiful citizen. He is a
public official wielding the resources of a rich province, expected to be exemplary in conduct.
Filipinos are so deeply frustrated by the arrogance and corruption of officials who never face consequences that we’ve stopped caring how justice is served. This attitude is dangerous. We are beginning to celebrate the breakdown of civilized rules.
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Coming back to VP Sara’s unscathed popularity: the Duterte brand remains magnetic despite questions surrounding hundreds of millions in unaccounted funds.
Their probable secret sauce? They represent a “swift justice” that bypasses a slow, clunky system—even if that justice is often messy and selective.
Many Filipinos are likely fantasizing about what another Duterte presidency would do to the culprits behind the flood control mess. They’re probably picturing the bodies of corrupt officials floating in the very floodwaters they failed to mitigate.
But let’s look at the father’s track record. During the height of the drug war, how many “Big Fish” actually fell? The morgues were filled with street-level pushers, while the kingpins
remained largely untouchable. If their “main advocacy” couldn’t snag the giants, can we realistically expect them to net the big fish in a flood control scandal?