The messianic motif in Philippine politics
I will admit to being a Yellowidiot from 1983 – 1987. Yes. Once upon time, I believed in the narrative that Apo Lakay was an asshole and Ninoy and Cory Aquino were saints. I attended every major rally during those three years of the “struggle” against the Marcos dictatorship that I was not only a participant in, but a firm believer of. To my mind, Apo Lakay was the devil personified.
My disillusionment began when Cory declared a revolutionary government and screwed Salvador Laurel, who as Vice-President and Prime Minister. Then she released all the communists in detention, including Jose Maria Sison. She then proceeded to restore the political system which was in place before the declaration of martial law.
I chose to side with then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Col. Gregorio Honasan. I wanted Cory ousted. It didn’t matter how. I was already working in Makati by 1988 and by some sheer twist of fate, got to meet Ven Kuan, the general manager of Granexport Inc., the largest coconut oil mill in the country at that time, based in Iligan and owned by Danding Cojuangco under the Unicom umbrella. I had inside information on the 1987 and 1989 coup attempts because officers allied with the RAM would go to Kuan’s house in San Lorenzo Village to get funds for financing the two major coup attempts against the Cory administration.
I’m no Marcos apologist. Based on my objective assessment, taking the good with the bad, I would give Apo Lakay a passing mark for what he achieved in the twenty years he was President. This is taking into account all the reports of corruption, cronyism and wanton use of public funds for personal purposes.
You ask why? My simple answer is nothing changed after Marcos. Cory didn’t delivery on her promises and corruption became more rampant compared to the control Marcos had when he was in power.
Randy David now claims that we must be all morons for giving Apo Lakay Jr., a shot at the Presidency. He takes this further by saying that Rodrigo Duterte set the precedent with his winning the Presidency in 2016 and his primary purpose is to dismantle the freedom and democracy restored by Ninoy and Cory.
Yeah right. Duterte twisted the people’s collective arms into voting for him in 2016. Maybe he even cast a spell over the whole country courtesy of the barangs of Siquijor.
The simple truth why BBM is leading the surveys now is he is the sentimental favorite. Why sentimental? When you and your family have been the bogeymen of the opposition for thirty-eight years and are still standing, the general rule is the tide may or may not turn based on your track record.
What does the opposition have to show from 1986 to 2016? Not much.
What does Rodrigo Duterte have to show from 2016 to 2022? A lot.
How does one counter this messianic discourse in which Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seems to thrive? There is no other way, I believe, except by questioning his suitability for the role into which he is being cast. Unlike the messianic figures in history, this man has never known any real adversity. His own father despaired over his laziness and lack of discipline. As far as the public record goes, he grew up surrounded by nannies, servants, bodyguards, and private tutors.
Prior to joining the government, he never had to earn his keep. When he finally did, he neglected to pay taxes, as though this was beneath him. He has never been associated with any social cause, or with anything that transcends personal or family interests. He seems to have no affinity with heroism—whether real or invented. Absolutely nothing qualifies him then to be the bearer of a vision of greatness.
David poses the above question, probably to the public, out of frustration. The answer is in front of his face but he refuses to acknowledge it. It’s because they never gave up on the Marcos’ being their bogeymen. They even cheated him out of the Vice-Presidency in 2016. This only serves to strengthen his narrative.
David also claims that Marcos is casting himself in the role of a Messiah. Reallly? Isn’t that the narrative of Leni Robredo who can save the Philippines from Duterte and Marcos combined, if she can get the people behind her. The problem is she can’t. She can’t even unite the “opposition.” That has been the narrative of Robredo since 2016 up to now. Another widow will defeat Marcos. Not going to happen if you’re only polling at twenty-percent and can’t get the support of the laylayan you claim to serve.
Even if the Filipinos on social media who support Duterte and Marcos have been active in voicing their opinion against the opposition, they still don’t bother to listen at all. This is even if the lost the 2016 and 2019 elections and are now on track to probably lose on May 2022 again.
Marcos isn’t cast as the Messiah. He’s playing the role of the underdog and Pinoys simply love underdogs. On paper, the most competent, experienced and qualified candidate for the Presidency is Ping Lacson. Marcos comes in second. Robredo, Moreno and Pacquiao can be lumped together in one spot because they absolutely bring nothing to the table. Lacson continues to trail in the surveys but there’s still five months to go before the polls and anything can still happen. The debates are the perfect opportunity for Marcos to prove that he is qualified and competent to become President even if he hasn’t rolled out his governance platform up to this time.
It’s hard to unify the country when you have five candidates running. The plurality win makes it easy for the opposition to claim they’re the silent majority. Duterte and Joseph Estrada share the same winning percentage of thirty-nine percent. This made it easier for Erap to be ousted and replaced by his Vice-President who obtained forty-nine percent. This disproves David’s claim that Marcos is out to “unify” the country. Probably only IF he wins with more than fifty-percent of the vote in the final tally.
What was the opposition thinking if they didn’t even bother to prepare for a Marcos Presidential candidacy? Stupid is what stupid does. At this point, there is no logical basis to explain the actions of the opposition. It’s the same old narrative from 1983. But even if another Aquino dies between now and May 2022, I doubt very much if they can pull of a repeat of 2010 where Noynoy “won” over Erap. The events in this election were similar to the “sweep” of the Senatorial elections in 1987 when only Enrile and Estrada won.
Frankly, I’m more concerned of how the international community will react to a Marcos victory. The organized demolition job against Duterte is still on-going even if he’s about to step down. The US again wants bases in the country as a deterrent to China. I don’t think it will come to the point that the US can subvert the election because public support for Duterte continues to be strong even if he hit Marcos hard last November with allegations of drug use and “weak” leadership. There would be ways which the liberal democratic elites can put pressure on the Philippines under a Marcos Presidency to try and force regime-change.
At this point, the opposition doesn’t stand much of a chance at winning the Presidency, Marcos or no Marcos. Not even a miracle can save them from an ignominious defeat at the polls. It is not about Marcos’ efforts at historical revisionism but more because of the failure of the opposition to deliver on their promises of reform and good governance.
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