It is easy to see the superficial problem with the Philippine Opposition — its inability to unite. Such an ability is important today, because they are up against a popular incumbent. But it is also easy to see how the problem with the Opposition is deeper than an inability to unite by simply asking another question: Why is the Opposition unable to unite?
The reason the Opposition is unable to unite is because they are backward- rather than forward-looking. They expect to find “unity” in a historical common fear of a “return to dictatorship”. However, they had based that historical notion on a 30-year narrative propagated by a single feudal clan to further a political agenda. Indeed, over those several decades, that feudal clan — the Aquino-Cojuangco clan — had turned that narrative into a vast mythology (complete with gods, demons, and symbols) that imprisoned Filipinos’ minds, subliminally keeping the people distracted from and oblivious to the power brokering they sneakily did behind the scenes.
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To this day, it is still this mythology the Opposition draw upon as input into their obsolete messaging. In the recent case of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that voided Lourdes Sereno’s appointment as Chief Justice back in 2012, the Opposition led by the Liberal Party (a.k.a. the Yellowtards) have chosen to go down the path of discrediting the Supreme Court and dismissing it as just the most recent of government institutions that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte now “controls”. Predictably true to form, they have spun this outcome as further “evidence” of an emerging “dictatorship” being perpetrated by Duterte.
In so doing, however, the Yellowtards had essentially burnt the bridge they may very well need to backpedal over to explore other options to get around the setback of Sereno’s removal from the SC. After all, the Supreme Court remains fully-functional and fully on top of the Philippines’ judicial branch. The playing field of the entire law profession is governed by the country’s court system over which the Supreme Court presides. There is no getting around the SC. It is still there. Even during “revolutionary” situations, newly-crowned “revolutionary” presidents legitimised their rule through a swearing in ritual officiated by either the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or a duly-appointed representative.
In that context it is bizarre the way the Opposition resorts to spectacles today involving the conspicuous presence of Roman Catholic priests and nuns or the clerics of one religious organisation or the other. It is as if these Yellowtards are saying that they are deferring to the “higher power” of the Almighty to validate their politics. Yet when it comes down to legitimising a new president — even a “revolutionary” one — they will find that all roads to legitimacy still lead to the Supreme Court. Indeed, imagine the alternative — a president sworn in by a Catholic bishop or cardinal. It’s an ironic scenario that flies over the pointed heads of the religious nuts of Yellowtardom! They are essentially advocating a return to the days when monarchs were given heavenly mandates to effect absolute rule on their subjects by God’s earthly vassals in robes.
Small surprise, therefore, that the Opposition remain hopelessly-fragmented. By their own doing, they’ve divided themselves along religious lines, lines delineating a variety of interpretations of the law, differences in interpretation of history, of definitions of “fake news”, of who owns the sacred notion of “people power”, and, most bizarre of all, of who holds final authority over the interpretation of the law. And yet, it has long been obvious that Filipinos, like any other freedom-loving people, have so much more in common than all that pettiness. It only takes a simple change in perspective to see that common vision. It only takes a focus on the future and on the prospective and a collective letting go of the past and the retrospective thinking fixation on it induces in the collective mind of the Filipino people.
Duterte won an election in 2016 by focusing his constituents on what is possible and has attracted admiration in the lack of deference to the historical baggage of tradition he had exhibited during his campaign and well into his presidency. The Yellowtards, however, had, since Day One, chosen to stubbornly stick to its beholdenness to that very tradition and past baggage that Duterte had turned his and Filipinos’ backs on. What the Yellowtards and the Opposition they presume to lead need to do is learn how to battle an innovative foe. They cannot do that by doing the very same things that had led to their fall to begin with and they cannot expect to win using the very same thinking that contributes to sustaining the losing strategy they remain stuck with.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
I wonder if the “opposition” is serious about being opposition, or are they posturing for show. Well, the latter for me.
We can genuinely give them the benefit of the doubt that they really don’t agree with the dominant power. But they present no viable, much less significant, alternative.
Many of the members of the LP are celebrity politicians who ran for office for the glory and power. They have no clue how to be a leader, they exploit everything other than the intellect of the Filipino voters. And Filipinos being religious, emotional and star struck have work on their favor for decades.
The opposition has no other way, to win elections. So, they intended to invalidate the will of the Filipino people, by putting Leni Robredo, as Vice President. By impeaching Pres. Duterte; they hoped that Leni Robredo, become their puppet President.
At the start of Pres. Duterte’s term; the crook : Leila de Lima , teamed up with another crook: Trililing Trillanes, to begin the impeachment proceedings of Pres. Duterte. It did’nt work. They went to the United Nations; the ICC; the European Union; Loida Nicolas; etc…nothing worked. Pres. Duterte is still there.
They were hoping that 1986 EDSA coup d’ etat will work again. They utilized the Roman Catholic Church to help them, grab the power, they lost. They were looking for the U.S. and the international community, will put them into power…This is not only stupid thinking, but also, stinking thinking.
Most of the opposition leaders have no political platforms to present to us, to solve the country’s problems. They don’t have any vision for the country. They don’t have any good programs to improve our lives…
Maybe, they are hoping that another , SMARTMATIC HOCUS PCOS, will come again, in the next election. However, their hero: former COMELEC Chief , Andres Bautista, is nowhere to be found, with his loot of billions of pesos…Anyway, their leaders are the same dogs, who did the : DAP, PDAF, missing Typhoon Yolanda Fund, Mamapasano masscre,2016 election cheatings; etc…Nothing changed on them. They just want to return to power, and do their things, again.
looks like sereno is using the name of the heavenly father for her own interest, that’s violation of the bible re: thou should not use the name of God. her oust is heavenly gift of God to the pilipino people which she should know.
Living in the past kills your future.
What our country need today is real and genuine opposition. An opposition who question the current government plans, and laid down alternative plans, alternative solutions, take these plans and solutions into actions, for the benefits of us Filipinos. The opposition we currently have is full of rubbish, full of shit, more shout and talk than actions.