Vol. VI, No. 23 - December 15, 2024
The intensifying political feud between the Marcos and Duterte factions is being paraded as a spectacle for public consumption, serving to further entrench the interests of the ruling class. This conflict is in reality, a maneuverer that serves to divert the masses from the deeper political and military machinations of US imperialism. As tensions between the US and China escalate in the region, the ruling elites’ scramble for power ahead of the 2025 midterm elections and the eventual 2028 presidential race – becomes a convenient smokescreen to deflect attention from US imperialist warmongering versus China.
Philippines is a vital cog in the US “first island chain” containment strategy against China. At present, there are nine EDCA (Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement) US bases in strategic areas in the country facing Taiwan and the South China Sea where combat troops, munitions, warplanes, war ships, and missiles are positioned. The recent deployment of the advanced mid-range Typhon missile system capable of reaching targets inside China heightens tensions. Continuing war exercises on land, air and sea are launched with US, Australia, Japan and other western allies further escalate hostility which may lead to a hot war.
The split within the ruling coalition (previously “UNITEAM” alliance in the last presidential elections) has stepped up to the point that Sara Duterte publicly declared that she had made arrangement for assassins to kill the President, the First Lady, and the Speaker of the House, “in case she is killed”. The immediate trigger for such a violent outburst was the continuing investigation of Congress concerning the highly questionable disbursements of hundreds of millions of pesos of the vice president’s “confidential funds”.
An underlying reason behind this brouhaha is the competition between the Marcos and Duterte political dynasties in the forthcoming presidential contest, after Marcos Jr.’s term of office ends in 2028. The Marcos faction uses its control of Congress to expose former President Rodrigo Duterte’s accountability in the latter’s brutal “war on drugs”, and even hinted to enable Duterte’s arrest if the Interpol put up a “red notice” for the arrest of the former president. Duterte’s role in smuggling of illegal drugs in the country and the illegal activities (sex trafficking, money laundering, etc.) related to POGOs (Philippine Overseas Gaming Operations) has also been exposed.
The public threat of Sara Duterte to kill the President, First Lady and the Speaker of the House is now the subject of impeachment petition in Congress. After this incident, Marcos Jr. publicly declared that he will not this threat pass and will use his executive power to prosecute the vice president. Several investigations ensued against Sarah Duterte, with the end of establishing legal and administrative cases.
Marcos Jr. declared that impeaching the vice president is “not beneficial” to the country. After this pronouncement, Marcos Jr.’s factotums in Congress declared their support to the president’s statement. Now, Congress is sitting on the impeachment complaints.
On the other hand, the Duterte faction still command the loyalty of a significant number of officers and members of the police and the reactionary armed forces, who benefited during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency. The former president had been publicly agitating policemen and soldiers to withdraw their support to Marcos Jr.
It is worth noting that the same issues of widespread graft and corruption being pointed out against Sara Duterte mirror the controversies surrounding Marcos Jr. Both are emblematic of a rotten political system riddled with impunity and patronage, where public funds are used for private gains. Whether it is through dubious projects or excessive allocations, both camps demonstrate the same disregard for transparency and the people’s welfare.
The Filipino masses must see through the facade of this political circus. The Marcos-Duterte feud is nothing more than a battle for control over the state as the primary machinery of class oppression. It is a conflict rooted in self-serving interests exploited by US imperialism and does not align with the interests of the masses. Genuine change will not come from choosing sides in this elite rivalry but from building a unified front of resistance against the broader system of exploitation and imperialism.