UNLIKE Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go is taking a less subtle route to national politics. This is probably because Go is different from Sara in at least two counts: one, he is not President Duterte’s child but his assistant and, two, he is less powerful and, therefore, less popular than the President’s daughter.
The joke is actually on Go, especially in social media. Photos of tarpaulins that announce his intention to run for senator (although he still has to formally announce his bid) have become the subject of hilarious memes. There’s not much talk about a Sara Duterte senatorial run but the idea of her succeeding her father can be a more powerful image.
And she has flexed her political muscle in at least two instances. She formed the “regional party” Hugpong ng Pagbabago that is now threatening to eclipse the administration party PDP-Laban and she acted as “kingmaker” in the House of Representatives, helping former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo become Speaker.
Now, even veteran politicians are starting to look at Sara differently. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who partly plays political opposition when given a chance, has called Sara his kind of future leader. Other politicians are already planning to join Sara’s Hugpong, further strengthening her political clout.
The 2022 presidential election is still far away but Sara, to use a Cebuano term, is “namuhunan nang daan.” There is still 2019 to hurdle but Sara, if she runs for senator, is expected to pass the test. In surveys, she is among the few who are neither incumbent nor former senators who is in the Magic 12.
As expected, political opportunists are now grabbing Sara Duterte’s coattails, or should we say “saya,” as she rises in national politics. In areas like Cebu, this has given politicians, who were marginalized by President Duterte’s assumption to power in 2016, a chance to try to recover lost ground. They are hoping that by being pro-Sara, the support that she and her father are getting would also rub off on them.
This is an interesting development, one that wily politicians are taking cognizance of.