Isang Kaibigan, the Maharlika Investment Fund, and the whopping SUCs budget cut are just three of the many controversies surrounding the tandem, who once argued for "unity." But behind those grandiloquent campaigns in 2022, time has proven to be the ultimate truth-teller, revealing their true intentions.
Unity sounded like hope for the majority who voted for the Marcos-Duterte tandem. On top of that, the slogan 'Bagong Pilipinas, Bagong Mukha' fit the fantasy of many hopeful Filipino voters, which led the tandem to win the 2022 election. But, have they truly upheld unity?
In the first year of the term, the Maharlika Investment Fund controversy spread like wildfire, with many questioning President Bongbong Marcos as to why he eagerly signed it into law despite the lack of consultation and studies. At the same time, there had been an ongoing onion and sugar crisis under the Department of Agriculture, PBBM again, being its concurrent head. More than that, his regime pushes a ₱14.48 billion cut from the SUCs in the 2025 proposed budget, forcing the SUCs to commercialize in order to fund the deficit they will face due to this.
Meanwhile, one may question, where was the Vice President in all this? The assignment of VP Sara in 2022 as the DepEd Secretary created doubts and gained mixed reactions from the critics and the majority, knowing that she has no background in handling the department. Months later, the Matatag curriculum was immediately implemented regardless of the issue of historical revisionism lying behind it. The 'mandatory' ROTC was also spotlighted as she vocally pursued it. And recently, right after her resignation as the Secretary of DepEd, the Vice President was probed about the budget of her then self-authored children's book "Isang Kaibigan."
From all the controversies in their first 3 years, we can doubt if unity was really their true intention or if it was just a mere illusion.
Isang Ex-Kaibigan
Fast-forward, their ‘united’ alliance is now divided. Ironically, those people who engendered unity are now estranged from each other. Where did it start and where did it go wrong? It flared up when Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from being the DepEd Secretary, followed by the drug-related exchange between his father, Former President Duterte, and the current President— and this was succeeded by the prayer rally, which the Dutertes spearheaded in Davao. More than that, the absence of the Vice President herself in the 2024 SONA lowkey confirmed the feud between them.
"The last time I spoke to her was when she handed me her resignation, and we haven't spoken since,” President Marcos Jr. said in an interview (Inquirer, 2024). The Unity tandem was not able to embody unity themselves. Both leaders stand in stark contrast to each other, as evidenced by how they wanted to resolve the West Philippine Sea issue and decide on constitutional reforms. The fact that they have numerous reported conflicts and misunderstandings suggests that the former and the latter do not agree with each other's agendas, which is why they were unable to unite.
Unity has been a mere illusion from the very first time they used it to campaign. The intention was never to unite but to wreck, wreak havoc. Their definition of ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ did not represent the needs of Filipinos but rather those of menacing leaders who are greedy for power and money. If we sum up their contributions in 3 years, have any significant changes in the country been brought about by their Bagong Mukha? We, Filipinos, are at a disadvantage; after all, they are still the ones in power.
Sources:
Heydarian, R. (2024, July 21). Marcos-Duterte war is a battle for the soul of Philippine democracy. Nikkei Asia. Retrieved September 9, 2024, from https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Marcos-Duterte-war-is-a-battle-for-the-soul-of-Philippine-democracy
Sarao, Z. (2024, September 5). Marcos: No contact with VP Duterte since resignation as DepEd chief. Inquirer. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1979928/marcos-no-contact-with-vp-duterte-since-resignation-as-deped-chief/amp
East Asia Forum. (2024, April 16). The Marcos–Duterte power struggle in the Philippines. Retrieved September 9, 2024, from https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/04/16/the-marcos-duterte-power-struggle-in-the-philippines/
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