THE NAME’S AKIRA and boy do I have something to tell you. Well, this is not just any opinion but more of a rant to what is currently happening right now in the Philippines: with a political drama that has happened between two “unified” dynasties (Marcoses and Dutertes), it seems as if unity is the only platform that the Marcos-Duterte tandem failed to establish. And not only that, but there are people who seem to be enjoying it like a teleserye while others are very concerned that their problems would not be resolved soon: and that’s a clear disconnect which is very worrying. 

First off, for the people who are calling for the government to focus on the problems at hand such as the PUV modernization and the continuous increase in price of essential needs, they are really at the center of it all, the victim of the government’s mismanagement and prioritization of political policies. Hence, there was this one time where there were certain groups who were at the front of the House of Representatives, carrying placards that presents the real problems the government is facing while the lawmakers are continuously pushing for charter change or cha-cha. Remember the meme “we are not the same”? Well, this applies to the situation the affected citizens are in, and it’s disappointing when you think about it. 

“…unity is literally the only thing that the Marcos-Duterte tandem has repeated many times throughout their campaign and yet they even failed to do so.”

Secondly, to the current government, unity is literally the only thing that the Marcos-Duterte tandem has repeated many times throughout their campaign and yet they even failed to do so. It’s bad enough that we have no clear and practical plans for the Philippines in the future, it’s worse to realize that the only purpose of these two leaders from political dynasties joining forces presents a display of self-interests only – it was never about the people to begin with. And now, both Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former president Rodrigo Duterte did not hold back in throwing shades against one another. This includes Duterte’s son Baste Duterte even telling Marcos Jr. to resign as president. Alongside the whole issue of “people’s initiative” a political rift between both houses of congress: the senate and the house has started. 

Third and finally, to the people who are very much against the tandem to begin with, let alone, longtime critics of former president Duterte, are enjoying the sight of what they are seeing right now. With the real colors showing among the members of UniTeam, it’s like a drama from a teleserye that entertains the haters of the administration, claiming that they were right all along, to the point of telling the people who voted for Marcos-Duterte of “told you so” or “you should have listened.” While I understand that part, even I will admit in doing the same thing, it’s not the right way of making a united front against another strong political domination in the upcoming 2025 elections. Political groups should take this as an opportunity in making a genuine opposition that does not use deliberate shaming towards people in contrast to their beliefs but be more welcoming to gain more mass support. 

As the political story continues to unfold for Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte, only time will tell if the people have truly learned their lesson by choosing the leaders who would be willing to step up as opposition or fail to realize it by choosing either one from the dark side. But as of writing this, there is already a cracking in the so-called “UniTeam.”