By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s threats against teachers’ party-list group Rep. France Castro reveal a disturbing arrogance reminiscent of his “Tokhang-era” remarks wishing death on drug pushers.
But, at the same time, it’s a stark reminder that he’s no longer in power, and even if he were, he would not have any right to dictate the fate of another human being.
In turn, Castro’s decision to file a criminal complaint is a testament to the principle that no one should wield the power to threaten someone’s life. This is not just about one person. It’s about uprooting a culture of impunity that has plagued our society for far too long.
Duterte’s attempt to meddle with the House of Representatives’ decisions, though, is absent of people’s interests as he did when he was president. Now, it’s just a cheap and futile attempt to bark at congressmen who closed ranks to strip his daughter of her confidential and intelligence funds.
This time, no one’s racing in front of the pack to defend the Dutertes — at least, not people in government whose opinions have weight. In this word war, Castro has the upper hand.
Cucurroocu-coup
Amid Duterte’s blustering threats and attempts to cling to relevance, Firing Line has detected some low-frequency talk in quiet corners over the weekend.
There’s a rumbling undercurrent of retired generals entertaining dangerous ideas of a coup d’etat, a desperate ploy to oust President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and install Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Inday Sara. But one has to wonder, why now? Just as Poong Digong steadily fades from national politics and when Sara’s popularity numbers are scaling down, and she has proven herself ineffective as DepEd secretary — with over a hundred million in secret funds in hand — I don’t believe it!
Some argue that people desire the return of the Duterte dynasty to Malacañang because of their supposed favoritism toward the military and police. These institutions were indeed pampered during Duterte’s reign.
However, history offers a different perspective. The President Marcos then and the President Junior now and his administration are also adept at keeping the military and police content. Mr. Bongbong has someone like Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro pursuing military modernization. His decision to pivot back to the United States from Duterte’s China-smacking has brought on a lucrative Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) through several military facilities. And let’s not forget this administration’s hitting the brakes on slashing military and uniformed personnel (MUP) pensions and benefits – unsustainable as they are; as well as the leniency towards the Philippine National Police despite monumental booboos and the drug links. Also, there’s an ace up the Marcos administration’s sleeve: the power to open the gates to the International Criminal Court.
Should anyone from the Duterte clan attempt a coup and fail, the ICC might proceed with prosecuting the elder Duterte for crimes against humanity. In this climate, a coup is a gamble that risks every ounce of political power the Dutertes have left. But all-in-all, it’s a cancer that the Philippines wants to go into remission. Gaining power through force never brought us a greater good.
* * *
SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View via X app (formerly Twitter). Read current and past issues of this column at https://www.thephilbiznews.com
