Philippine political feud takes a dramatic turn

When the sitting vice president says he has hired an assassin to kill the president and dreams of cutting off the president’s head, you might think the country is in deep trouble.

But this is the Philippines, where politics and melodrama go hand in hand.

Vice President Sara Duterte posted on her Facebook page over the weekend, “I spoke to someone. If I get killed, I will go kill BBM, (First Lady) Liza Araneta, and (Speaker of the House of Representatives). “I said,” he said. ) Martin Romualdez, no kidding, I told him to stop until I killed them, and he said yes. ”

Last month, she told reporters that her relationship with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos had soured that she dreamed of beheading him.

He also threatened to exhume the body of the president’s father from the Heroes’ Cemetery in Manila and dump his ashes into the sea.

Behind all this drama is the spectacular collapse of a once powerful political alliance.

Mr. Marcos and Mr. Duterte’s decision to join forces in the 2022 presidential election was a marriage of convenience. Both candidates are descendants of Sara Duterte’s father, then-current president Rodrigo, and had strong support in various regions of the Philippines. Both had populist appeal.

However, having both candidates run for president divided their supporters and risked losing to a third candidate.

So she agreed that although Mr. Marcos would run for president and she ran for vice president (the two positions are elected separately), they would form a single campaign team.

It was assumed that the young Mr. Duterte would be in the most powerful position in the next presidential election in 2028.

It has proven to be a highly effective strategy. Uniteam, true to what they branded themselves to be, won in a landslide.

But as any of her predecessors may have told Duterte, the vice presidency is largely ceremonial and has little power.

President Dutertes wanted an influential defense portfolio. President Marcos gave her an education instead, an early sign that he was wary of letting the vice president build her power base.

He also abruptly turned away from the politics of his predecessor.

He ordered the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to confront China in disputed areas of the South China Sea. This was in sharp contrast to President Rodrigo Duterte, who has refused to challenge China’s dominant presence and even declared that he loves Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Mr. Marcos also toned down President Duterte’s infamous drug war, in which thousands of suspected drug dealers were shot dead.

He has hinted that he may rejoin the International Criminal Court, which indicted Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity. The former president also faced scrutiny in the Philippine Senate for extrajudicial killings that occurred during his time in office.

Relations between the two sides further deteriorated after Marcos’ allies in the House of Representatives launched an investigation into Sara Duterte’s use of confidential funds allocated to her when she took office.

In July, the vice president resigned as education secretary, and her language became increasingly inflammatory.

Sara Duterte is no stranger to controversy. Thirteen years ago, when she was mayor of Davao City, she was filmed repeatedly punching a court official.

She comes from the same political mold as her outspoken father, both of whom were known for their harsh words. He called the Pope a “son of a whore” and boasted about killing people.

He describes her as the “alpha” character of the family who always gets her way. She says it’s hard to love him. Like her father, she likes riding big bikes.

But her latest threats against her former ally, President Marcos, may prove too ill-advised.

Marcos responded by calling Duterte’s comments “reckless” and “troublesome.” The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation, the US equivalent of the FBI, summoned the vice president on Friday to explain her threats.

She now turns them away, denying they are real. “This is a plan without meat,” she explained, accusing Marcos of being a liar who will lead the country to hell.

Perhaps it was inevitable that two such powerful families would become rivals in the vortex of Philippine politics, which remains primarily concerned with individuals, extended families, and communities.

Political loyalties are fluid. Senators and members of Congress change party allegiance all the time. The president has the authority to spend government funds, and power is necessarily concentrated around the president. After leaving office, former presidents are regularly investigated on suspicion of corruption and abuse of power.

President Marcos wants to restore his family’s reputation after his father was shamefully ousted in a popular uprising in 1986, and hopes to influence the selection of his successor in 2028. The Dutertes have their own dynastic ambitions.

For now, Sara Duterte remains the vice president. She could be removed from office by impeachment by the Senate, which would be a risky move for President Marcos.

He enjoys strong public support in the South and among millions of overseas Filipino workers, and it may be difficult to win enough support in the Senate for impeachment.

Midterm elections are scheduled for next May, and all seats in the House of Representatives and half of the 24 seats in the Senate will be up for grabs. It will be a test of strength for each rival camp.

Mr. Duterte’s explosive break with the president is an opportunity for him to endorse his own candidates and present himself as an alternative to a government that has lost popularity amid the economic downturn.

That could give her a better starting point for the 2028 presidential race, rather than remaining tied to the Marcos regime.

But after her inflammatory comments in recent weeks, Filipinos must surely be wondering what she’ll say next.