My batch in high school is pushing for a Christmas party in January and I suggested that we plan that out in December yet. But as December nears, it looks to me like Philippine politics is acting up again. This is actually a continuation of that Uniteam split between the Marcos loyalists and the Diehard Duterte Supporters or DDS that years ago catapulted Bongbong Marcos to the presidency and Sara Duterte to the vice presidency. The supposed maximum goal is to force BBM to resign and install Duterte to the post he will vacate. The supposed minimum goal is to salvage whatever prestige Sara still has enough to make her win the presidency in 2028.
That is why I now find our batch planning for a celebration in January rather awkward. We are already old enough to know how fragile our brand of democracy is. We don’t know what happens if the political situation worsens. I like the analysis, though, that the reason why political upheavals in the Philippines happen usually in February is because we Filipinos do not want politics to influence our December celebratory mood.
But I also rely on my own analysis of politics in our country. I do not consider the DDS as a strong enough force to topple BBM. They can only be strong if they unite with the Marcos loyalists. In much the same way, I do not consider the Marcos loyalists as a strong force. They need the DDS to prevail in this country’s politics. Leni Robredo would have defeated BBM in the last elections had the latter not united with the DDS. The Marcos loyalists and the DDS need one another. To paraphrase the old saying, “united we stand, divided we fall.”
Still, I don’t like the political noise. This is the reason why I have been silent throughout this episode. I was once an anti-Marcos, although my target in my younger years was the “original Macoy,” Ferdinand Marcos Sr. But BBM seems to me like a proud liberal democrat and I don’t expect him to install authoritarian rule like his father did. The Dutertes, on the other hand, seem predisposed to the use of violence. As former presidential spokesman Harry Roque’s supporters falsely depicted this political battle on social media, this is a battle between the forces of darkness (“kadiliman”) and the forces of evil (“kasamaan”).
My wish is for us to not be lured into making another extra-constitutional move. I am a senior citizen now and am a liberal democrat. If we replace elective officials, we should do that in the next elections. A revolution would be good but that is too bloody and I don’t think that would cleanse the bureaucracy of corruption thoroughly. I don’t think there is ever a corruption-free bureaucracy anywhere in the world now.
That just means that I am focused now on the coming Christmas celebration. We have already installed the decorations and the lights and although I am currently unemployed and poor, that does not mean I have to forgo Christmas, at least not in spirit. So my wish is for politics not to interfere with the celebratory mood we have currently.