The name of the Philippine presidential palace Malacañang is traditionally attributed to the phrase “may lakan diyan,” indicating the presence there of a nobleman or more precisely a strong leader. Yet, we seem to be once again at the risk of falling prey to the stars in our eyes and installing a papier-mache proxy in the presidential palace, instead of the strong leader the country needs. Former actor Isko Moreno, aka Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso or “Yorme,” caused a stir when he announced his intention to run for president in 2022, and pundits are wondering: is this the healing that the Philippines actually needs, with a clear and decisive break from Dutertismo? Is “Yorme” Duterte’s and his cronies’ ticket to a golden parachute?
Isko Moreno is clearly not a neophyte politician who is merely flying by the seat of his pants. He knows what is important to him. We, in turn as responsible citizens, should take careful stock of the people we put our trust in.
The recent and very public spat between President Duterte and the Manila Mayor—where the President criticized the latter for mismanaged ayuda disbursements and released derogatory statements about his “bikini”, and Isko firing back with choice retorts—may well be just an exercise in smoke and mirrors. Upon examination of the facts, we may recall that Duterte appointed Isko as an Undersecretary at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which he soon vacated when he ran for Manila mayor in 2019.
Back then, the President openly heaped praises upon Isko for having even more resolve than he did, such that when the Manila Mayor spoke, Duterte listened. That was in 2019, when elections were quite far from people’s minds—perhaps a much more honest time in the public space, as there was less of a need for opaque actions in order to gain the advantage of surprise.
But it wasn’t a one-way pandering either. Isko’s vocal defense of national government programs has been consistent up until 2021. One of the pro-Duterte causes that he defended was the dolomite issue in 2020, which was dogged by controversy as people flouted social distancing protocols to go and see the “white sand” dumped on what was to be known as the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach, which had been eventually washed away by several storms. This dolomite overlay cost Filipino taxpayers around P28 million.
The Manila Mayor’s fallback defense when lending credibility to any national government’ faux pas is the need to “maintain the status quo.” More recently, in discussing his plans as president, Isko has begun dropping hints that Duterte—should he win as vice president—would be welcome in his Cabinet.
Sadly, instead of projecting himself as a “reconciliation and healing candidate,” Isko’s centrist approach to governance has people on both sides of the political divide wondering about the actual motivation for his presidential bid. The fact that Lito Banayo—who coined Rodrigo Duterte’s catchphrase “Tapang at Malasakit” and helped steer the former Davao Mayor to the presidency and is now running Isko’s campaign—is the main ingredient in the chunky conspiracy stew in the former actor’s smoky political pot. Isko’s choice of Dr. Willie Ong, who is reportedly still the vice president for health services of the Duterte-allied Lakas-CMD party, as running mate adds the proverbial spice to this political concoction.
Not surprisingly, many political analysts—and yes, even some so-called Palace insiders—are convinced that the “Kodigo” (Isko-Digong) tandem was pre-arranged by the incumbent powers-that-be as far back as last year. It has come to a point where there are entire Viber groups dedicated to discussing the nuances of this “Kodigo” partnership, particularly the terms and exchanges involved in the hypothetical sweetheart deal.
Isko’s political leanings aren’t really a matter of import, as much as the effect his inclusion in the race will have on the actual, true opposition to Dutertismo—the opposition that will allegedly champion human rights, dignity, separation of legislative and executive branches of government, and so on.
So, will the real opposition please stand up? If the Kodigo conspiracy is true, who is the standard bearer against this Manchurian candidate claiming to unite us, when odds are that he will merely absolve wrongdoings of the current administration? Whoever that champion will be, he or she would have to be an experienced and crisis-proven contender. Imagine having a leader who will only start learning once installed on the job at the tail-end of a pandemic that has left a large chunk of the country’s workers still unemployed; an unprecedented volume of OFWs being repatriated with no place to go and no money to remit; fiscal deficits; rising costs of consumer goods and services, and businesses still trying to right themselves after the injudicious and seesawing quarantine levels have laid to waste their balance sheets.
From being “the sick man of Asia” to a “rising tiger” from 2010 to 2016, the Philippines managed to shed that dreaded moniker thanks to the tender care of Benigno Aquino’s intensive care team. The Philippines seems to have fallen ill again under Duterte, as we witness how the country’s political system has eroded to such a point that the state can no longer be relied upon to work for the benefit of all sectors of society, especially those who live below the poverty line. Infighting, finger-pointing, a culture of impunity, and systemic corruption—all these maladies are plaguing this administration, through all the backtracking, the “jokes,” and the late-night press conferences.
Isko’s running will not do to Duterte what Grace Poe did to Mar Roxas, however. Because they are running under different positions and under different parties, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that they specifically chose statistically weak running-mates so as not to hinder the real game plan.
On the other hand, Isko throwing his hat in the ring will do to the opposition the same thing that Grace Poe did when she ran against Mar Roxas in 2016: split the vote and destabilize any hope the opposition may have for a strong mandate. In a way, Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao are also skin-deep opposition candidates, as it will be recalled that they stood firmly behind Duterte on integral issues, such as peace and order and the war on drugs, essentially enabling the administration to run things the way it has over the last few years.
Consequently, the biggest potential threat to the opposition at present would be Isko, especially if he were just a shill for the Duterte administration to keep on doing what it has been doing for the last five years. If Davao Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio decides to take another page out of her father’s playbook and run later on (under a seeming halo of a grassroots demand for her brand of public service in Malacañang), then perhaps we will see if Isko would either bow out so as not to divert votes from the “ultimate chosen one,” thereby confirming his shill status, or stick it out to the end.
The 2022 elections are not going to be straightforward and neat. They are going to be a whirlwind of activity, with too many allegiances to keep track of for the opposition. With the Marcoses pulling out all the stops to worm their way back into the Palace and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo allegedly pulling some strings, the opposition may find itself too embattled on all sides to present a decent standard bearer to overcome the past six years of death, drugs, and face shields. One can only hope that something will light a fire under them to organize, and to move with impact and purpose. Time is of the essence.
For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com