House Secretary General Reginald Velasco (left) receives an impeachment complaint filed on Monday against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte. Pic: AP/PTI
When a sitting vice-president publicly threatens the life of the president, even the Philippines’ chaotic political landscape seems to reach a new level of disarray. But in this archipelago, political rivalries and melodrama are hardly novelties.
Vice-President Sara Duterte’s recent remarks on Facebook were as shocking as they were incendiary. She claimed to have hired assassins to kill President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Just last month, she revealed her wish to decapitate the president, dig up his father’s remains from the Heroes’ Cemetery, and toss them into the sea. The vehemence of her language is impossible to ignore, though Duterte now claims that her words were hyperbolic and without intent. Yet the damage to the already fragile alliance between the two political dynasties is undeniable.
This public spat between the vice-president and president traces its roots to a political union forged in 2022, not out of affection, but out of necessity. The Marcos-Duterte alliance, dubbed UniTeam, was a marriage of convenience. Both candidates were heirs to powerful presidential legacies—Sara Duterte, daughter of the populist strongman Rodrigo Duterte, and Bongbong Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Their joint bid capitalized on regional and familial loyalties, pulling together disparate political forces. The duo won by a landslide, but the vice-presidency, which Duterte assumed, is largely ceremonial, with few levers of power. When Marcos allotted her the education portfolio instead of the defence ministry, it was a clear sign of mistrust. The differences between them were soon magnified by stark contrasts in policy, especially on China and the controversial war on drugs.
For decades, the Duterte and Marcos families have loomed large in Filipino politics, both with their share of scandals and dynastic ambitions. Rodrigo Duterte, now former president, pursued a foreign policy that embraced China, despite Beijing’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea, and led a brutal anti-narcotics campaign that resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings. In stark contrast, Marcos has taken a more confrontational approach to China, asserting Philippine sovereignty in contested waters, and distancing himself from his predecessor’s war on drugs. As Marcos has sought to distance his administration from the Duterte legacy, his relationship with Sara has soured.
The friction reached a new peak when a congressional investigation was launched into Sara Duterte’s use of confidential funds allocated to her office, and when she resigned from her role as education secretary in July. Since then, her rhetoric has grown more strident.
Sara Duterte is no stranger to controversy. As mayor of Davao City, she gained notoriety for physically confronting a court official. Her brashness mirrors her father’s bombastic style—Rodrigo Duterte once famously insulted the Pope and boasted about his past killings. The apple has not fallen far from the tree. Like her father, Sara is known for her toughness, her defiant personality and an unflinching desire to retain power.
For Marcos, however, the stakes are even greater. His family’s quest for rehabilitation after the 1986 People Power Revolution (when the Marcoses were ousted by a popular uprising) remains central to his presidency. He is intent on crafting a legacy of legitimacy and respectability, aiming to influence the choice of his successor in 2028. The intense rivalry with the Dutertes may, however, undercut his efforts. Sara Duterte’s strength in the south, coupled with her robust support from overseas Filipino workers, makes her a formidable political force.
While the possibility of Sara’s impeachment remains, the political risks for Marcos are immense. A politically charged impeachment would require significant support in the Senate. For now, it seems that the Philippines’ political theater will continue to unfold in spectacular fashion, with the two powerful families locked in a rivalry that may define the country’s future.
Comments