A “united opposition” is nice in theory but almost an impossibility in practice. What today’s Philippine Opposition are up against is the camp of an incumbent, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who remains enormously popular. This is in contrast to former President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III whose personal “Aquino” brand and his party’s “yellow” narrative were but pale shadows of their former glory by the time the campaign for the 2016 elections began. Back then, even a divided Opposition — had Duterte not even run for president — would have made minced meat of his party.
The Opposition today think they could do a repeat of the campaign that crushed the Yellowtard brand and paved the way for change — a campaign that sustained a constant bombardment of the Aquino administration, and his Yellowtard minions, and their entire belief system day and night, seven days a week. Despite having one of the mightiest communications team of any Philippine government at his disposal — one that included the Noted One himself, the eminent Manuel L Quezon III — the Aquino administration withered under the relentless shelling. Despite being backed by no less than the Roman Catholic Church and its vassal network of exclusive private schools and their chi chi alumni “thought leaders”, the camp was no match for a loose informal community of newspaper columnists and bloggers who poked hooks into gaping cracks in the veneer of “decency” that was the Yellowtards’ campaign costume, twisted these in, and then pulled out stinking evidence of their inner rot.
It is evident that the Opposition are attempting the same strategy today — sustaining a demonisation campaign against Duterte, kicking up outrage fads over the most trivial birthday dinners, making every misfortune to befall the Philippines out to be his government’s fault, and spinning false correlations between economic trends and his administration. None of these lame copycat tactics have worked. Duterte’s popularity persists and his political capital is as formidable as it had been in 2016. Barring a catastrophe that could be convincingly linked to a major indiscretion or dereliction of duty on the part of the Duterte government, the Opposition need to re-think their approach if they are to put up a good fight in the lead up to the 2022 elections. Indeed, the Opposition style has long been revealed for what it truly is — one that is basically a five-year long prayer for a major national disaster that would sink the Duterte administration. Well they did get their prayers answered in 2020. But the disaster the Opposition prayed for that was COVID-19 did not deliver the blow to Duterte’s popularity they were hoping it would.
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As such, it is high time the Opposition drop the Hate Duterte rhetoric. That’s easier said than done. At the moment, social media is saturated with pompous and self-righteous “thought leaders”, “influencers”, and celebrities scrambling to shore up their “personal brands” by attracting retweets and likes on the back of Hate Duterte collateral masquerading as “woke” rhetoric. Duterte is being painted as a “misogynist” and a “tyrant” among other things which is a convenient effigy for wokedom’s “feminist” and “human rights” sloganeering to be directed at.
The “woke” bandwagon is just too hard to resist (or get off from) for Netizens chasing clout. As such, the person tasked to lead the Philippine Opposition’s 2022 election campaign will have the unenviable task of reining in this chi chi community of chattering titas and amigas and implement a coherent communication strategy with a consistent and well-coordinated messaging apparatus as its main pillar. This leader will need the stature and charisma to both inspire and command the attention of this “woke” community that dominate the collective voice of the broader Opposition. He or she will have to ensure that any semblance of inclusiveness the Opposition exhibit is not undone by any reversion to or association with elitist Yellowtard and communist rhetoric such as disente triumphalism, Martial Law and COVID Crybabyism, “human rights” fashionista ululations, ocho-ocho “people power”, and demonisation of the Philippine military and police.
To be seen to be one working with all Filipinos and not against mythical bogeymen and abstract historical demons is key to the long-overdue rise of a strong, modern, and respectable Philippine Opposition. Filipinos need a capable and intelligent Opposition leader to turn today’s bratty rabble of sissies and whiners into a force of smart fighters who say, and write more than lame banalities that add rather than subtract from the Philippines’ collective intellect.
The 2022 election is just around the corner. Clock is ticking.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
i believe no one hates Duterte. it’s just you who are willing to kiss his ass without hesitation.
“… is saturated with pompous and self-righteous “thought leaders”, “influencers”,…”
Exactly… same goes with Benign0 and his GRP : )
Where exactly am I “kissing” Duterte’s “ass” in this article? I am actually giving tips to the Opposition to help them get their shit together and stop being the lame bunch of sissies they currently come across as.
Nowhere but one can tell that you wish to kiss his ass just by reading between the lines in each and every article you write.
Everytime the opposition shows its opposition against Duterte you come up with some pretentious and arrogant critic about it.
So all you are really doing is speculating on personal motivations here it seems.
When someone is criticizing someone/something then it normally means that he/she is against that certain thing.
You cannot tell us that you are pro-“Yellowtards”, etc since you have been expressing pro-Duterte and anti-opposition from the beginning.
What makes you think I am “pro-Yellowtard”?
I’m not saying or thinking that you are pro-Yellowtard. When I say “pro-Yellowtards, etc” then I mean pro-opposition.
What I’m saying is that since you refuse to admit that you (literally or metaphorically) wish to kiss his ass then you must logically refuse to be pro-Duterte but how can that be when you express so much discontent with the opposition of Duterte. It’s impossible to want everything and its opposite at the same time. If you express anti-opposition then you must logically be anti-opposition and pro-Duterte. Hence if you are pro-Duterte then you wish to kiss his ass… atleast metaphorically.
You can’t have it both ways. Right?
The Yellowtards are starting to get boring as an opponent. So I’m just giving them tips to up their game to make all this interesting again. Is there anything wrong with that?
If what you are saying is true then you should give them constructive criticism, and not scorn them on everything they do and stand for. As I can remember of all the articles that I’ve read, you have not expressed one single bright side of the opposition in your articles. So why on earth would the opposition follow or listen to any of your “tips”?
What can be more constructive than advising them not to campaign on a platform of hate?
Since you are asking me this, you probably do not know what constructive criticism is. Try research its definition! And then tell me if you truly believe that you are giving them constructive criticism.
*have given them
Nope. I don’t need to do any further research on the notion of being “constructive”.
It’s obvious that I do not mean just “constructive”. It’s clear as daylight that I mean “constructive criticism”.
Your comment can only mean that you are trying to avoid my statement about it. I understand now why many have said that you’re pathetic.
It’s really not my problem if you’ve been struggling to make yourself clear. Perhaps enrol yourself in an Effective Writing class to improve your articulation skills. Also it does help to be able to craft a sound argument. Looking back at all your comments, I realise that you didn’t have any.
We all know that you’re the problem. You know this. Everyone knows this.
What a sad and pathetic excuse of a human you are.
Let’s end this discussion before we end up in an endless bashing of each other. Bye.
Bye!
Now please tell us why you’re–sincerely, I guess– “actually giving tips to the Opposition”?
Because Philippine democracy can benefit from having a strong and modern Opposition.
And the amazing ability to “NOT HATE Duterte” is the most important factor, right? Because a strong and modern opposition has to be borne of ummm, maybe… dislike? But just a mild one? Only a tad bit of dissatisfaction not anywhere near hate or loathing but enough to start a movement? Because, I don’t know…maybe you find this disgust in the system yourself but your ego just couldn’t afford to be crushed by admitting you made a bad judgment and you’d only let that happen if you wouldn’t have to identify yourself with the existing opposition because you’re an extra-special opposition so you’d rather stick with Duterte? Oh, sorry for assuming too much. You could just be an ordinary Dutertard who badly wishes for all this to end but without Duterte being accountable for any of it.
What’s your alternative then? That the Opposition continue on a platform of hating Duterte? That clearly didn’t work. Oh wait, I already said that in the above article. Did you read the article?
If there’s no sound alternative, why bother? I read the article. Did you read my question? Oh wait, you couldn’t respond to the rest of it because you’ve just been had! You don’t like what’s happening, but you just couldn’t accept that you’ve been wrong in supporting Duterte all this time. But it’s okay. If you’re a recipient of that face towel he dampened with his own sweat while on his campaign float, you really can’t help it.
Nope. I haven’t changed any position I’ve taken on Duterte, the Yellowtards, and the communists. So I’m curious now. What makes you think I did?
OMG, did you just use the “Yellowtards” card? Either you fell (yet again!) for Duterte’s divide-and-conquer agenda or you really are a major component in his machinery. Oh, benign0, I had so much more respect for you when I wasn’t reading you. This is just sad. Plus the “I haven’t changed any position I’ve taken on Duterte…” like, not even once? That bad?! Anyway, I wish you well. Good luck on your…whatever this is you’re doing.
Bye!
No political faction has ever tried a positive campaign so I highly doubt that any candidate or party would do that.
The popularity of Duterte is hard to beat. He connects with the people….
He sure does:
https://mashable.com/2017/07/25/duterte-oxford-paid-trolls/
People are dying because of the government’s MISMANAGEMENT of the pandemic.
But benign0 the turd does NOT care because he lives in AUSTRALIA. Stoooopid benign0 who knows nothing of the suffering of filipinos because he is living the cushy life in AUSTRALIA while we are RAVAGED by the pandemic.
GO TO HELL benign0 you CLOWN
I’m actually working on my next article. Stay tuned! 😀
You’re already clowning around with your obnoxious ad hominem, son.
It’s easy to blame the government’s “mismanagement” but it’s hard to admit that we are also part of the problem because of our lack of discipline. It’s a case of our dysfunctional culture, which you totally ignore so much.
That’s why I’m pushing for charter change, federalism, open economy, and a parliamentary form of government, which you refuse or vehemently oppose. Those who should go to hell are the people who want to defend the status quo.
And no ad hominem and caps locks gonna save you either.
LOL
“That’s why I’m pushing for charter change, federalism, open economy, and a parliamentary form of government”
You can’t possibly believe that is possible.
In the Philippines there are a select few who hold vast majority of power/land/money. Those people are not changing the form of government. LOL
The only way change is happening in the Philippines is by a strong leader (like Duterte) or by educating the people (through education, different media outlets, etc.)
This is why the ABS-CBN is such a big issue because that channel, having as much power as it had, hurt the country for years (and still is hurting).
New media outlets have to take hold for anything to change, but it is going to be rather difficult as the powers that be do not want the country to change. There is hope though because, I believe, in the information age, change is possible.
Of course, when you put the most important things like individual discipline and personal responsibility into the trash bin, then you say “Everything is okay”. That is actually hell. Because all hell breaks loose if we go by your hellish logic. ?
It’s probably why a lot of celebrities become politicians. It’s just a matter of capitalizing on fame. There’s really no such thing as a divide between private and public interest.
You have a point there, Benign0.
You unabashedly highlight a major deficiency in the Opposition’s “strategy” in their utter lack of vision and long-term planning. It is not just about the absence of a single leader with enough charisma to connect with the common people and marshal them to a golden goal. You pinpoint their over-reliance on cliche “revolutionary” tropes like the hammer-and-sickle bullshit that would scare more than entice the “woke” post-global media-verse that they so like to identify with (yet why do one of their POLITICAL parties – 1Sambayan – have TWO Roman Catholic clergymen but no imam? Aren’t Muslims worthy of representation???)
Now we have all these “celebrities” coming out of the woodwork shooting their mouth off but failing to provide any solutions. I can imagine all of them clawing for political position if ever Duterte decides to vacate…it’s going to be like tossing a T-Bone steak to a pack of dingoes