Can the opposition unify?
The man who chases two rabbits catches neither,” the great Chinese sage Confucius warned. That proverb perhaps best captured my concerns heading into the multiple rallies organized by different opposition groups last Jan. 31. The day started well, with thousands of folks showing up for the morning “Impeach Sara” rally co-organized by inter alia, the Magdalo party list group of former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Akbayan Citizens‘ Action party of Sen. Risa Hontiveros at the Edsa People Power Monument. Despite the scorching heat in the morning and sudden drizzles before lunchtime, thousands of rallyists decided to stick around and indulge the long string of speakers, who consistently emphasized the need for Congress to act on the multiple impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Despite the limited area available for the rallyists, as many as 10,000 reportedly graced the event. Led by Akbayan party list Rep. Percival “Perci” Vilar Cendaña, the protesters chanted: “Impeach, Impeach, Impeach Sara Now!” No one failed to raise concerns about the deteriorating economic conditions for the poorest Filipinos as well as the potential misuse of public funds ahead of the 2025 elections but the attendees were clear about the need for urgent and decisive action on the mounting evidence of fiscal and human rights abuse by the notorious Duterte dynasty after months of rigorous and cross-party legislative hearings featuring progressives such as ACT Teachers party list Rep. France Castro and Hontiveros.
Hours later, a different group of organizers hosted a very different rally at the nearby Edsa Shrine. In many ways, it was a far more diverse constellation of groups from religious, liberal, and progressive backgrounds. If anything, I had the privilege of pressing flesh with numerous followers of my podcast, “Deep Dive with Richard Heydarian,” who generously reached out and shared their sentiments of support for my little platform. By this time, the sky was clear blue, and sun rays began to filter through gaps in the hard, gloomy concrete highways crisscrossing the area.
I was also immensely pleased to catch up with old friends, including Gelo Guison, a TikTok sensation who played a crucial role in the social media campaign of the ”Pink Movement” during the 2022 elections. I also had the chance to exchange views with veteran labor union organizer Ka Leody de Guzman, who wasted no time emphasizing the crucial role of the genuine opposition to uphold the rights of the masses against the rapacious elite, regardless of their family names.
But what caught my attention was the presence of elements associated with the former Duterte administration and reportedly even members of the Quiboloy-backed Sonshine Media Network International, who were lurking in the area. Although the “Impeach Sara” slogan occasionally popped up, the event was primarily dominated by those who have been focused on criticizing the ruling coalition, most notably President Marcos. Over and over again, the main speakers claimed that the government is overseeing the “worst budget ever”! One overly zealous speaker, who previously worked in the same administration, went so far, pinning down all the current fiscal mess squarely on the President himself, as if traditional politicians in Congress had no agency of their own.
While I fully support the genuine opposition’s systematic scrutiny of the current government’s key policies and fiscal practices, I can’t help noticing how the Dutertes have aptly weaponized the former’s sincere efforts to fuel their own political agenda. After all, if Mr. Marcos falls, who is next in line? The “worst ever budget” semantic also reinforced the Duterte-backed disinformation campaign, including the blind item about Mr. Marcos allegedly signing a budget with ”blank items” despite all contrary evidence and precedence. Moreover, I have yet to see any comparative data set, which definitely shows that this year’s budget is precisely ”worse” than those we witnessed under far more problematic administrations, namely the Rodrigo Duterte and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo presidencies, which oversaw countless corruption scandals.
Fortunately, the most radically oriented groups, led by the Makabayan bloc, who had organized their separate rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio, had displayed considerable discernment. “Itigil na ang Paguugaling Pusit” was their main mantra, referring to how the Dutertes have consistently tried to distract from their exposed abuses through the dark art of disinformation and/or brazen hijacking of the genuine opposition’s pro-accountability campaign. As Castro made it clear: “Sigaw ng mga Pilipino ay patalsikin na si Vice President Sara Duterte!”
—————-
rheydarian@inquirer.com.ph
