Dutertismo: Hijacking good governance
We live in strange times indeed. I have witnessed bizarre events across the world, but nothing quite beats the tragicomedy of Philippine politics. After my legal team detected major anomalies in the frivolous ”indirect contempt” petition filed by pro-Duterte charlatans, the hapless impresarios were forced to submit an amended version, which “deeply apologizes to [the Supreme Court] … and recognizes with humility” their manifold “lapses.” The petitioners admitted the need to “correct certain jurisprudential citations inadvertently and mistakenly relied upon in the original petition.” As a result, they were forced to “sincerely apologize” to the country’s highest court, underscoring the foundationally sloppy and unquestionably frivolous nature of their antics.
Theirs was a lame attempt at silencing us by weaponizing legal instruments in clear violation of our constitutional democratic principles. Theirs was a malicious twisting of my interventions by omitting my ton of nuanced and contextualized discussions on the latest Supreme Court ruling on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial’s constitutionality. Above all, their attempt at weaponizing legal instruments against lawful dissent was not only an affront to our highest court but also reflected the unvarnished shamelessness of the pro-Duterte impresarios. The episode also brought home the broader danger posed by “Dutertismo”: the authoritarian-populist pseudo-ideology at the heart of the country’s most notorious political dynasty’s modus operandi.
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” So goes the famous proverb from Virgil’s ”Aeneid,” warning of subterfuge and deception during the Trojan War. In the same spirit, we should also be wary of suspect characters seeking to weaponize legitimate public anger against unfettered corruption. In his legacy years, President Marcos has embraced a major reboot. Far from being an aloof princeling, he is now personally visiting ordinary folks and lending his ear to their heartfelt protestations.
Most notably, the incumbent has embraced a ”good governance” agenda, which, to put it mildly, is slightly ”off-brand” for the Marcos dynasty. And this is precisely why it’s crucial for the President to prove his sincerity by not only lamenting corruption anomalies and ”naming and shaming” shady government contractors. He must, at the very least, oversee a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the flood control project anomalies. The goal is to put the embodiments of the evil of corruption behind bars in accordance with the rule of law. There must be justice.
Procedurally, the President may instruct relevant agencies to investigate the matter as well as set up a special national task force. He could also cooperate with a parallel body, even an Independent People’s Commission, to aid in the investigations, given the sheer scale of these corruption anomalies. Most crucially, the President should also choose the right ombudsman once he is presented with the final short-list among the current candidates. After all, the next ombudsman could be a ”game-changer,” since he/she has the power to pursue charges against the highest officials of the land by, inter alia, probing into any questionable money trail, aiding any new impeachment trial, as well as acting on anonymous yet reliable information by whistleblowers to pin down erring officials.
The political hyenas, however, are also smelling blood. As I have explained in these pages (“Dutertismo: Five Types of Supporters,” 12/15/22), pro-Duterte figures come in many shades. On one hand, there are those who worked in senior positions during the previous administration, but have been conspicuously silent on Duterte-era anomalies even as they embrace the mantle of good governance these days. Then there are openly pro-Duterte elements and, interestingly, even members of the notorious dynasty, who are eager to exploit current corruption scandals to score political points. In the case of the VP, it’s a convenient distraction from alleged anomalies involving her almost two years of totally disastrous leadership at the helm of the Department of Education.
Lest we forget, the former administration oversaw a total of 11,340 flood control projects by the fifth year of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s reign. By 2018 alone, the Duterte administration announced a half-billion-dollar flood control initiative! According to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, we lost close to P1 trillion on anomalous flood control projects over the past decade, more than half of which was under the Duterte presidency (2016-2022). In short, there is no way to tackle the issue of corruption and flood control anomalies unless we zero in on Duterte-era projects, too.
