I spent my younger years fighting the Marcos dictatorship, the dictatorial rule set up by the “original Macoy,” Ferdinand Marcos Sr. I even left college and spent years in the underground. Until I was arrested. Twice. So it is rather surprising that I spend some of my time now supporting the presidency of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Ironic?
Before Bongbong Marcos’ election in 2022, I campaigned for Leni Robredo, who is now the mayor of Naga City, the place that she and her husband, Jesse, who died in a 2012 plane crash while flying home from Cebu City, consider their bailiwick. Jesse was the Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary when he died. His wife Leni became vice president when Rodrigo Duterte was president. BBM defeated her when she ran for president. In 2025, she became mayor of Naga City in the Bicol region.
I also campaigned for Aristotle Batuhan, who ran a losing campaign for one of Cebu City’s two congressional districts. Before our campaign packed up, Totol reminded me about our anti-Marcos struggles. He must be surprised at my silence on the BBM administration.
That the BBM presidency turned out to be genuine in its adherence to liberal democratic tenets should not be surprising because BBM grew up partly in the United States, a country known for its adherence to liberal democratic principles even if it is ruled by the bourgeoisie or the monopoly capitalists. And he seems determined not to repeat the mistakes his parents made.
The “original Macoy” was a product of the times. He ruled in an era when authoritarianism became a thing in many countries worldwide. When FM declared martial law in 1972, dictators had started surfacing throughout the world. The 1986 Edsa People Power Uprising finally toppled FM’s rule. The old liberal democratic setup was restored. Since then, the ruling class that was displaced by the original Macoy took back power and has ruled over us since then.
Democracy, as the products of the pre-martial law years know it, is back. And many of the leaders of the progressive movement have been devoured by the system once again. Some of them have become media talking heads, which is not surprising considering how the new online technology has taken root in the country.
My favorite talking head, for example, is Ronald Llamas, who came from the activist and progressive movement before serving in the Aquino administration and later becoming a fixture in traditional media. While Llamas has dumbed down his rhetoric, I am still assured that with his background, he can still dig up some of the progressive thoughts he imbibed in the past.
I remember some of the old progressives talking about creating a party different from the ones existing now. A genuine progressive party. Of course, nothing came out of that because everybody is busy living and they no longer have time to spend on selfless undertakings like many of us did before.
So what this country really needs is a progressive political party that should redirect the kind of liberal democracy we have now. That is, if creating such a party is possible.