Another Marcos will rule the country soon. And another Duterte will also be there, this time as vice president. What I am saying is that there will be continuity in the country’s governance. We will continue to have an ultra-right government in the next six years. Consider the would-be prevailing government ideology as Duterterism with a dose of the Marcosian thinking.
I have this feeling that the Marcoses will indeed try to reshape history’s view of the family not only through fake news but also in governance. They have six years to do that. They may not return the ill-gotten wealth they accumulated during the rule of their late patriarch, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., but I am sure they will try to show a semblance of good governance this time around.
The key will not be Bongbong nor Imelda but Imee. She is a veteran. She was trained to lead early by her father when she was chosen to head the Kabataang Barangay before they were exiled to the United States. She was the first among the Marcoses to hold an elective position in government when they returned to the country. She is also a longtime senator.
She seems to me like she is the most mature in the family in terms of governance and values. We all know how the former dictator viewed his junior when he was younger. All the while, it was always Imee who seemed to be the better Marcos growing up.
As senator, Imee has been low key. She did her job without much fanfare. I don’t know what she is doing behind the scenes, though. For all we know, she could be the brains behind the creation of a social media empire peddling revisionist history and fake news. But outwardly, she is not as aggressive and arrogant as a Marcos.
The biggest danger to a Marcos presidency is the “We Bulong” brigade of new oligarchs, corrupt politicians and other influence peddlers. These people succeeded in bringing down the presidency of Erap Estrada, who seems to be of the same mindset as Bongbong: happy-go-lucky and a “barkadista.”
This is why I think Imee’s role in her brother’s presidency is crucial, that is, if the Marcoses really mean well. The family needs somebody mature enough to see through the motives of people now trying to influence the running of the government.
Aside from Imee, there is also Sara Duterte, who presents a more mature style of leadership than her father. If rumors are to be believed, she is supposed to be resentful of the influence peddlers that surrounded her father. Meaning that she could also try to do good in the next six years.
If you think that I am trying to look for crumbs of positives in a Marcos-Duterte governance, I am. There’s no escaping this government. Devoting my time on family endeavors may work. Or focusing on other things, like on the nongovernment organization that Leni Robredo plans to set up. But at least there should be comforting things in the setup that would ease the mind a bit.