The division at the top levels of the Philippines smells of blood, causing great shock.
Sara Duterte, the daughter of former President Duterte and the current Vice President of the Philippines, hinted at a press conference on Saturday that President Marcos might be after her life, causing a huge uproar.
She explicitly stated that she had ordered others to seek President Marcos and his wife, as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Romualdez, for retribution if she were harmed, implying a threat of life for a life. She emphasized, "This is not a joke, not a joke."
Romualdez, a cousin of the younger Marcos and part of a large family dynasty, had slashed the budget of Sara's office of the Vice President by two-thirds.
Sara also said, "This country is going to hell because it is led by someone who does not know how to be a president; he is just a fraud."
On Sunday, a senior official stated that the Philippine National Security Council would verify the alleged assassination threat mentioned by Sara, describing it as a "national security issue."
In June this year, Sara left Marcos' cabinet but continued as Vice President. However, during the 2022 elections, Marcos and Sara had allied and eventually won. Since then, Marcos' parliamentary allies have been targeting Sara over confidential funds issues, and Marcos has also backstabbed former President Duterte, Sara's father, over the investigation of the drug war.
With significant disagreements on several major issues including policies related to China, the Associated Press believes that these two individuals and their respective political families have "turned from partners to adversaries."
Reuters reported that Sara's latest remarks reveal an increasing and more publicized rift between the two most powerful political families in the Philippines, the Marcoses and the Dutertes. Reuters' wording was one of the mildest among many comments.
The political system of the Philippines has been deeply influenced by familialism since its independence, resulting in a chaotic "oligarchic politics." The country's political families not only have deep control locally, but they also form a massive political machine through controlling elections, media, and private armed forces.
It is reported that about 250 political families in the country control almost all elections and political situations from the central to local levels, with many families ensuring long-term control of power through blood relations, manipulation of votes, and exchanges of interests among family members. This monopolistic political pattern by families leads to the formation of local tyrants and intensifies conflicts and competition among families.
In the Philippines, the control of political power by families often accompanies violence. Especially in local elections, the intensity of political struggles often exceeds rationality and rules, with violence, assassinations, and bloody electoral conflicts being common.
Family political violence has become a long-standing shadow over the country's political culture, not only affecting election outcomes but also profoundly influencing social stability and the rule of law.
The 2009 Maguindanao massacre is a typical example.
On November 23, 2009, Ampatuan, then governor of Maguindanao on the island of Mindanao, hoped his son would succeed him and orchestrated the murder of the family of his political rival Mangudadatu.
Mangudadatu was one of the gubernatorial candidates of Maguindanao at the time. He had his family members submit his candidacy papers at the election commission office, accompanied by over 30 journalists, but they were ambushed by over 100 gunmen, resulting in 58 deaths, including his family members, two lawyers, and over 30 journalists.
Among the accused murderers, 28 bore the surname "Ampatuan," including 12 prominent members of the family, one of whom was competing for the governorship at the time. This incident shocked the international community and became a symbol of political violence in the Philippines.
Thus, Sara Duterte's mention of "if I am harmed" may not merely be a venting of personal emotions but a precaution set by the Duterte family against bloody power struggles, a defense line in the complex political battle.
The Philippines was once a Spanish colony, later occupied by the United States after defeating Spain, profoundly affecting the country to this day. The Philippines is one of the most "Americanized" countries in Southeast Asia politically, but also one of the most corrupt.
Now, with the President and Vice President wary of being "murdered" by each other, it sounds like a throwback to centuries ago, vividly illustrating how chaotic and unreliable Philippine politics are.
