With a new year to brace and embrace as a political animal, the vice president faces a new challenge as a spare tire: how to be relevant and stay so, or the alternative is not an option.
Once there were two brothers, so the story goes., One ran away to the seawhile the other became a vice president. Nothing was ever heard from either of them.
Vice President Sara Duterte strongly felt that she potentially had the presidentcy within her grasp in 2022 but let it slip away from her fingers. One historically significant person took it away, with her permission, in exchange for something she has yet to write about in her memoirs. She gave up the chance when her reach could have exceeded her grasp.
That person is now the president who has lately discovered that she is not exactly a relevant person in his government where security is a matter of concern.
That is the raison d’etre for her being excluded, formally and officially, from the government’s national security council headed by the highest official in the land.
It’s not just being technical or legal about it; it’s abou authentically being political about `it vis’a-vis at least two definitions that 1) politics is the art of the possible and 2) politics is mainly about addition, even multiplication.
How she addresses the latest hot issue in Philippine politics is pivotal to how she will look forward to the future, especially in 2028 when the current president will step down from office and a new president will be elected. “Shall” deserves another column item.
Many Filipinos, especially those in her political camp, look at this in this light,on the edge of their seat, given the recent challenge. Her allies have already questioned the issue of fairness of ruling her out from the council because of relevance, or the lack of it. She was tripped,as it were, not blindsided to be sure, and must pick herself up back on two feet, quickly and smartly, or oblivion will not be far behind.
In the first place, her being bounced off the council may be the necessary step in that direction.
Her Christmas message about forgiveness and love, among others, are strong motivational points in soul -searching against the backdrop of an ungracious falling out from a formidable partnership with the President that has unmistakably led to this.
The blame game is seldom one-directional, with four fingers usually directed at oneself.
When the issue of relevance is raised, the question of whose interest it is must be honestly answered.
It is beyond doubt that keeping the vice president out of the security loop ,whether internal or external, is in the President’s interest. That interest has been unmistakably compromised by the vice president’s series of public behavior, from unbecoming to unacceptable, as a public official, let alone as the next in line in Constitutional succession.
From the imaginary decapitation shown in public to revenge -from= death= assassination= plot against the President, the First Lady and the Speaker of the House, publicly bannered, there could only be one unmistakable and human reaction: anger. The vice president’s behavior can only be interpreted as “hate speech”, in one sense.
“If you prick us, do we not bleed,” Shylock asked in Shakespeare’s
“Merchant of Venice”. “ If you poison us, do we not die? Jf you do us wrong , do we not revenge?”.
Obviously, the President could not simply shrug off the apparent threat to him and his family’s safety or take them sitting down. A threat, bluff or not, deserves a counter measure to prevent it from achieving its end.
There is also the bigger issue of the continuing threat by China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea that persists and ramped up in many different ways and unsettle the country”s leaders, let alone the ecountry’s allies, by the hegemon’s unwieldiness.
The Duterte family, including the vice president and her father, the former president, have yet to state definitive, unequivocal public statements about the conflict. In the eyes of many, that makes their patriotic sentiment a national issue.
The vice president’s relevance in both internal and external implications is undeniable and, therefore, a valid point. The vice president must choose her priorities straight. Her inclusion in the security body as a member get confidential information on national security is a risk.
“Mene,mene tekel upharsin sin”, warned the hnadwritting on the wall in the palace of the ancient king of Babylon. “You have been weighed on the scale and wound wanting”. Relevance, in other words. Then and now.
There are no ifs or buts about it. She has President who has not hidden his admiration for Michiavelli as a decisive -politician,and shrewd and presumably read his book titled the Prince. That’s why she’s suddenly out for the moment. Until he and all the president’s and women changed their mind.
When one goes off the pathway, it takes a long and difficult route to go back to it. How do I love thee”, asked the English poet Elisabeth Browning. “ Let me count the ways.” The vice president had said the partnership is kaput and regrettable, and the mistake will never happen again. The President, a real true blue politician, had cautioned, never say never . log
There’s a clear distinction between one who’s not acceptable in the group where confidential information about security and threats are regularly on the plate and one who may be considered to being a threat herself and is therefore not acceptable to be part of the group’s game.
The vice president and her allies need to exercise deep discernment to know the difference. A long time ago, a strong leader said, “ I am already in the saddle while my enemies are still in the stir-up.” The leader was Ferdinand Marcos Sr who eventually became dictator and was not too friendly. to bis political enemies.
