By Marjorie G. Dungog
Former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and taken to the Netherlands to face trial for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Along with the issue of the validity of this arrest in light of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019, there is also the question of whether this is a political maneuver by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., against the Dutertes as a result of his disagreement with Vice President Sara Duterte.
It should be noted that during the 2022 National Elections, the elder Duterte supported Marcos Jr. alongside his daughter, Inday Sara Duterte. Their electoral coalition was even titled “UniTeam” to foster unity and solidarity among its members, especially its standard-bearers, who were to hold the highest positions to be elected. However, contrary to its name, the Marcos-Duterte tandem began to deteriorate barely two years after their landslide victory. The animosity between the two families arose from incompatible policy differences, and recently, a rhetorical war between the elder Duterte and Marcos Jr.’s camp concerning drug addiction claims.
Just a month ago, Sara was impeached, a first in the course of the country’s political history of vice presidency, and now, the patriarch’s arrest. These consecutive events do not go unnoticed. As the head of the state, Marcos has the choice not to cooperate with the ICC since there is no binding treaty, which means there are no enforceable sanctions. In the situation at hand, it is beyond doubt that the administration consented, contrary to the promise made by Marcos during a media interview that he does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines and considers it a threat to sovereignty.
Ultimately, the tables have turned, and the butterfly has changed its color. The once “UniTeam” has evolved into the nation’s most intense rivalry. One moves his pieces to eliminate his opponents in the game while the other struggles to remain in the squares. A show Filipinos have already witnessed in the past, yet are haunted by the same in the present.
Color and party politics have long been ingrained in Filipino culture, generating noise to reach votes. The noise seems to linger where one does not learn, where one refuses to listen to the reality he is in. The uproar of today is the fruit of the choices made yesterday. Filipinos still seem passive in the face of lessons given by history, which are likely to repeat themselves. The Marcos-Duterte polarization erodes democracy further as it undermines the stability of the current administration. If Marcos was able to turn against a former president who had saved him from political demise, how impossible is it not to happen to an ordinary citizen? Doomsday is far, but the solution is still in the hands of the citizenry. Thus, in the upcoming elections, may the right to suffrage bear the genuine spirit of democracy: a truly deserved leader with the capacity to lead, not based on the party to which he belongs.