Counter-move failed

By Artchil B. Fernandez

House Duterte launched its boldest counter-move against House Marcos last weekend.

The aim was to destabilize the administration of Bongbong Marcos (BBM). The maximum goal is the downfall of the current administration, with Sara Duterte replacing BBM in the presidency.

The Dutertes attempted to use public anger over the theft of hundreds of billions of people’s money through the flood control projects scandal as the flashpoint. They are laying the blame on the doorstep of Malacañang for the flood control projects anomalies, using the issue to get back at the Marcoses while escaping culpability from the scandal. This hits two birds with one stone, the Dutertes assumed.

Religious sect Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) lent warm bodies to the plot of the Dutertes to spark the conflagration. The sect mobilized hundreds of thousands of its members last weekend for a three-day rally for accountability and transparency.

Meanwhile, other Duterte operatives let loose resigned congressman Zaldy Co, the alleged mastermind of the flood control projects mess, to ignite the fire of a people power revolt against the sitting administration. He came out of hiding from abroad, accusing BBM and his cousin, former Speaker Martin Romualdez, as the brains of the flood control projects scam in a taped video.

Camp Duterte hoped that Zaldy Co’s “explosive” revelations, combined with INC’s hundreds of thousands crowd in Quirino Grandstand, would trigger a political avalanche that would bury BBM and his administration, leading to their ouster.

The Duterte event came and went with BBM still in power. The whole scheme went puff. It was a failed counter-move. There are several reasons why the counter-move failed and fell flat. The failure also reveals the desperation of House Duterte.

The chief reason the counter-move failed is that the main bearer of the plot — the INC — lacks moral authority to push for transparency and accountability. BBM, the Dutertes, and many politicians (local and national) who are involved in the flood control projects scam are all endorsed and supported by the INC. The sect bears full responsibility for the unprecedented corruption by helping these people gain public office.

Instead of a protest action, the INC should have held a contrition gathering, with its members wearing sackcloth and placing ashes on their heads as a sign of repentance for supporting these corrupt politicians. The sect practices bloc voting, which considerably helped many corrupt politicians win elections, thus enabling them to steal hundreds of billions. INC members should beat their chests and express sorrow for their wrong choice. But pride got the better of them, hypocritically proclaiming self-righteousness.

Transparency and accountability are the last things to be expected from the INC. There is a schism within the INC sparked by the intra-conflict in the Manalo family. The mother and siblings of Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo called for transparency and accountability in the sect amidst allegations of corruption and mismanagement. What moral right does the sect have to call for accountability and transparency in the government when it does not practice them from within?

The clearest sign of the failure of the counter-move was the decision of the INC to cut short its three-day protest, ending it on the second day. The INC miscalculated badly. Aside from its members, the vast majority of Filipinos shunned the protest action, despite the sect’s invitation that their activity was open to the public and non-members. Even INC members stayed away from the event, as shown by the attendance. Last week’s protest action gathered only 500,000–600,000 INC members — a far cry from the 1.8 million that were mobilized by the sect last Jan. 13, 2025, to oppose Sara Duterte’s impeachment. The sect’s assumed clout has considerably diminished and is exposed as a farce.

The other reason for the crash of the Dutertes’ counter-punch was their failure to win over the rest of Philippine society, particularly key groups and institutions. Major political actors — the military, the Church, and big business — spurned the call for the overthrow of the current administration. Civil society organizations and basic sectors — workers, farmers, students, and professionals — ignored the Dutertes-led protest action. Without these pivotal players, one cannot replicate a 1986 EDSA-like political event. Besides, the Dutertes have no credibility to call for reforms since they are also tainted with corruption, grave abuse of power, and vicious violence.

The final nail in the coffin of the counter-move collapse was the speech of Sen. Imee Marcos before the INC crowd attacking her brother and his wife. She revealed BBM and the First Lady are users of illegal drugs. What Imee Marcos did was comedic tragedy, if not tragic comedy. If her brother is into illegal drugs, why did she impose him on the nation? The imploded UniTeam was her brainchild. If the nation is in disarray right now, she also bears responsibility and should be held accountable.

Imee Marcos and accountability are oil and water. Before Imee Marcos cries for accountability, she should first make an account for the death of Archimedes Trajano. A U.S. court found she caused his death. She should pay the USD 4.16 million in damages. What about her family’s ill-gotten wealth? The stolen wealth must be returned to Filipinos.

While BBM survived and lived another day with the failure of the Dutertes’ counter-move, it does not mean he is out of the woods. The Dutertes will not stop with one failure. They will try again and again until their lust for vengeance is satisfied.

BBM may have overcome the latest challenge, but he comes out weaker than before after the counter-attack. Maybe this is the minimum goal of the Dutertes — to hasten BBM’s lame-duck years. In any case, the Dutertes failed big but may have won small.