‘Leni Magic’: Pink Movement’s second chance?
Senatorial candidate Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV recently found himself in hot water after seemingly soft-pedaling on one of the most high-stakes issues facing the country: the impeachment of Sara Duterte. In an ambush interview, the former senator characterized it as a “political” issue and, crucially, positioned himself as an “independent” candidate focused on pressing economic issues confronting millions of poor Filipinos. His remarks, which were partly taken out of context by the media, triggered a wave of fury, most notably from another former senator. On social media, Antonio Trillanes IV blasted his former ally for supposedly downplaying the Sara impeachment issue, which is fundamentally about good governance and accountability.
“A political issue only? Brazen corruption, betrayal of the nation, and, above all, the future of our nation is at stake here,” Trillanes said in Tagalog on his social media accounts. “Don’t even dare to belittle the issue of impeachment because this is extremely important for us in the Magdalao (party),” he added, referring to his party list of mostly former servicemen, who have positioned themselves as a primary vector of resistance to the Dutertes in the past decade.
Trillanes’ intervention is viscerally understandable, given how he, along with other opposition luminaries, such as former senator Leila de Lima, have been risking their lives to expose anomalies under the Dutertes. Lest we forget, both Trillanes and De Lima attended several hearings last year, which truly exposed the heart of darkness of the Duterte regime, both in Davao and during the former president’s six-year tenure at Malacañang Palace.
In fairness, Aquino’s position was a tad more nuanced. On one hand, he emphasized the need for ”impartiality” since as a prospective ”senator-judge,” he could end up as one of the legislators deciding the fate of Sara Duterte’s vice presidency in the next Congress. Moreover, his positioning as an ”independent” candidate was also an implicit critique of the bastardization of the ”opposition” mantle by the Dutertes. Over the past year, a motley cabal—composed of ex-members of the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration, ex-generals, and ex-members of the Duterte Cabinet—have dubiously hijacked the ”opposition” amid their political fallout with the Marcoses.
With the Duterte-backed Partido Demokratiko Pilipino and Marcos-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas dominating the headlines, Aquino positioned himself, along with other progressive-liberal candidates, as de facto ”third force,” which could provide voters with a more diverse and democratic set of choices in this year’s midterm elections.
So, dear reader, what to make out of this episode? Well, it’s hard to dismiss the Sara impeachment as a ”political issue” given the preponderance of evidence alleging massive abuse of power by the Duterte dynasty throughout the years. I mean, how many more hearings and exposes do we need? Moreover, the impeachment process is inherently ”political” anyway, so any emphasis on procedural impartiality rings hollow when a couple of senators have already made their opposition to Sara Duterte’s impeachment crystal clear.
Moreover, even just appearing as playing ”safe” on the Sara impeachment issue could backfire. First, it may alienate a huge section of voters, who are passionately invested in holding the Dutertes accountable. Moreover, the solid pro-Duterte voter base is actually a shrinking minority. According to an Octa Research survey last October, only 15 percent of respondents identified themselves as ”pro-Duterte.” The vast majority was divided between pro-administration (38 percent), pro-liberal opposition (7 percent), and non-affiliated (26 percent) voters.
Confronting arguably the most competitive Senate race in Philippine history and given the dominance of well-oiled celebrity candidates, genuine opposition candidates are likely gunning for the last few slots in the ”magic 12” circle. That means it makes more sense for liberal-progressive forces to resuscitate the ”Pink Movement” and win over anti-Duterte independents and ”Solid North” voters.
And it’s precisely here where the “Leni Magic” can come in handy. Largely seen as the outsized favorite to become Naga City’s next mayor, former vice president Leni Robredo is now in a prime position to remobilize her nationwide support base behind progressive candidates, especially those like Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Aquino, who got a decent shot at victory. And if the genuine opposition manages to secure a measure of success against all odds, this places Robredo and a potentially reenergized Pink Movement in a historic position to win the highest offices in the next presidential elections.
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rheydarian@inquirer.com.ph
