‘For an administration that holds a super majority in Congress, and for a President with high survey ratings, the quandary that the Duterte administrations finds itself in is very, very, unusual.’
BEFORE, they came in droves. Venues filled to the rafters, with supporters and allies clapping at every pause. Loud guffaws at all the jokes, no matter how lewd or crass. Allies and politicians showed up at every event possible, jostling to get the best seats in the line of sight, jockeying to have their photos taken, fists held out proudly.
The said photos were gleefully plastered over social media, informing any and all in the realm of their proximity to power.
Foreign trips were likewise jammed with attendees, whether from politics or business.
There was no shortage of people who wanted a piece of the President, for their own reasons. Now, the term is coming to its close: and any former presidential staffer will tell you, the last Christmas in office strikes a very stark contrast to the first. Most allies are preparing to move on to the next big thing, eager to secure their place in the sun.
For an administration that holds a super majority in Congress, and for a President with high survey ratings, the quandary that the Duterte administrations finds itself in is very, very, unusual. The President’s party has suffered a devastating split, with one staunch ally moving to declare his own candidacy for the highest office in the land. Meanwhile, it was comically revealed soon after the closing of the filing of certificates of candidacy that the President’s party’s “standard bearer” was told a mere two hours before the event that he was chosen to run as president.
So haphazard it evidently was that the “standard bearer” even came to file his COC while donning a T-shirt with the initials of a regional party, so much so that one poor staffer must have been tasked to find (and throw on) an appropriate jacket to avoid further snickers from onlookers.
And yet, they seek to quell placeholder rumors, complete with rhetoric and chest-thumping, that this is not a case of prepared substitution. After all, it is quite embarrassing for the ruling party to be left without a real contender, clearly just making do with what is remotely available. It does not project strength; it projects the weakness of a once-mighty coalition held together by a very thin thread.
With the clock ticking until the close of the period of substitution, it must be difficult for the remaining allies to realize that they are no longer living in 2019, when they held most of the political sphere by the nape of their necks with bowed obeisance. Eyes must be frantically watching allies for every movement, checking if one has jumped ship to other sides or are dutifully remaining to wait for the true anointed one of the President.
Ears must be pressed to the ground, waiting for word of any deserters. Phone calls are being furiously made, if only to gauge if support is wavering or still enthusiastic.
Assurances are passed all around, with murmurs of allegiance, if only to prepare for quiet exits to find a soft landing space.
Soon enough, they will stare the truth in the face. Before, they came in droves. The next few months, if the signs persist, might be a completely different story.
