[Edgewise] Sara’s fear, and ours - Rappler

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You saw The Scene. At first, Vice President Sara Duterte stubbornly refused to enter the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Hall to face criminal charges of threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and ex-House speaker Martin Romualdez. She grumbled to her hapless lawyers, in full view of news media, that she was afraid of being assassinated by the Marcos authorities inside the building, “like Ninoy Aquino.” 

Critics pounced: “delusional,” “paranoid,” ”drama queen,” a bully-turned- scaredy-cat. Let’s pile on too, shall we?

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla claimed that Sara’s handlers, who were arranging her court appearance, hinted that she be put in handcuffs, shown lying behind bars, in other words, the penal works. His office, he said, refused to be part of “high drama” aimed at eliciting public sympathy for the accused. 

Sara went on with the theatrics anyway, but her performance was more revealing than convincing. Brattiness overshadowed victimhood, visible anxiety belied any pretense of staunch martyrdom. Her eyes alternated between entitled rage and obvious fear. Fear of what? Fear that what she would have done to a political enemy would be done to her.

Such is the warlord mindset of the Duterte political dynasty, the predisposition that led Sara to stream the vicious late-night threat that made her the subject of criminal proceedings. Violence, the heavy hand, is the Duterte family’s instinctive response to any perceived injury, personal or political. 

Recall Sara pounding the face of an allegedly insubordinate sheriff. Bluffing Baste challenging General Torre to a boxing match; also publicly declaring that the only thing they wanted was “Bongbong Marcos’ head.” Paolo menacing a pimp with a knife; and  warning National Bureau of Investigation chief Melvin Matibag (veiled as “Matibay ‘yan”) not to come “in full battle gear” if he’s only going to flinch.

They are worthy progeny of an extrajudicial-killing aficionado. Theirs is the mindset that inspires dread of another Duterte presidency. The Dutertes epitomize the most backward and most menacing elements of a ruling class that has held the state captive to self-serving governance. 

They do not lack for spear-carriers like the obstinately ignorant Senator Robin Padilla or the haughty Cayetano siblings. At their service too are leaders of manipulative religious sects, power-hungry lawyers and image-builders, disinformation peddlers, washed-up movie stars and sundry opportunists who regard good governance as an obstacle to self-aggrandizement. 

The Dutertes thrive in a warped political culture by pandering to anti-elitist sentiments of­— let’s call a spade a spade­ — “bobotantes”: voters possessed by patronage dependence and narrow regionalism, who are convinced that shameless ignorance, uncivil behavior and blatant selfishness are marks of a politician’s “authenticity.” 

Self-described Diehard Duterte Supporters seek to shield the Dutertes from public accountability and to bring them back to power. Many have fused their own identity with that of their idol, Tatay (Father) Digong. Their mantra “Ah, basta Duterte kami!” signals mindless loyalty and political revenge — not a desire for better governance — as the moving spirit of the Sara-for-president movement.”

The state’s chronic failure to secure citizens’ well-being and its inability to cultivate functional literacy­ among a generally literate population have fertilized the ground for this sorry political phenomenon. 

 Disturbingly, Dutertismo — with its open contempt for the rule of law — is now the regressive counterforce to the growing outcry to end deeply rooted corruption in government. Its potential return to power is a historic threat to  Philippine democracy and must be averted by all peaceable means. – Rappler.com

Rene Ciria Cruz is an editor at PositivelyFilipino.com. He edited the book A Time to Rise (UP Press), and was Inquirer.net’s US Bureau Chief from 2013-2023. He has written for the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, Pacific News Service and California Lawyer Magazine.