Malaya Movement USA urges vigilance and vigorous opposition to Marcos vs. Duterte violence
Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to restore himself as the mayor of Davao City, amid the public rivalry between the short-lived Uniteam, spells danger for Filipinos in the coming years. Given both dynasty’s penchant for political violence, Malaya Movement USA urges advocates, public personalities, and the rest of the electorate to be on guard and denounce this prelude to political warfare.
The Dutertes are positioning themselves to reinforce their power in Mindanao against the Marcoses, looking towards the 2028 Presidential Election. With both dynasties having a rich record of violently eliminating political opposition and ordinary Filipinos trying to assert their rights, Filipinos are guaranteed to see more violence on top of the public verbal and political feuding.
On the other hand, Marcos Jr. is building up his own crony-field slate with the “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas.” This sham alliance is filled with corrupt politicians and ruling dynasty picks who are ready to bend over backwards to sell out the Philippines for their own benefit.
As ICHRP’s 2022 International Observers Mission confirms, elections and polls in the Philippines are already chronically riddled with threats and gun violence. Add to that the Dutertes’ candid declarations of violence, like Vice President Sara Duterte’s October 18 statement about President Bongbong Marcos, “I just imagined myself cutting his head.” These might be inane to the rational person but they are real indications of the Dutertes’ storied penchant for brutality.
On top of potential open violence between each clan’s cronies and hired guns, their rivalry for absolute power in the Philippines will pull resources away and distract from the need to have a strong national plan to address the chronic issues the Filipino people are facing. The country is already suffering from the incompetence and intentional neglect by the current administration. What more will vicious political fighting bring on top of its refusal to urgently fix repeated flooding that it only deems affluent communities worthy of, create sustainable jobs instead of merely manipulating employment rates on official government records, feed Filipinos instead of claiming P64/day makes one not food-poor, or ensure students are getting quality education instead of allowing illiteracy for schoolchildren as old as 10?
There is a lot on the line with the next midterm elections. We anticipate the realignment and consolidation of power within the halls of Congress will bring chaos and more suffering. It is even more critical that genuinely patriotic representatives and senators who will pose as staunch, consistent, and principled opposition be elected into the House and Senate next year.
Running for office has historically been a way for corrupt politicians to evade accountability. Duterte shouldn’t be given a platform to enact more fascist violence, mass murder, and corruption.
Duterte Ikulong! Arrest Duterte!
