Inday’s ‘never again’ moment

By Artchil B. Fernandez

“Never again!” This has been the rallying cry of activists who lived through the horrors of martial law and the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. The phrase also serves as the vow of those opposed to the return of the Marcoses to power.
Having experienced firsthand the oppression, brutality, and corruption of the elder Marcos’s regime, activists pledged that the nation and future generations of Filipinos must never endure such terror again.

To her dismay, shock, and frustration, Vice President Sara Duterte had her own “never again” moment recently.

After weeks of scrutiny by the House of Representatives and the relentless targeting of her family’s ardent supporters, the vice president finally reached her limit. “Never again,” she declared this week when asked if she would team up with the Marcoses in the future.

In recent weeks, Duterte has faced ongoing skirmishes with Congress over the budget of her office. Lawmakers took the budget hearings as an opportunity to scrutinize her office’s activities. Breaking with the tradition of swiftly approving the vice president’s budget out of parliamentary courtesy, members of Congress grilled Duterte on various issues regarding her office’s expenditures.

Key concerns raised by Congress included the P73 million in confidential funds disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA). In 2022, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) received P125 million in confidential funds, which were spent within a record 11 days. Lawmakers pressed Duterte for specifics on the disallowed portion, but she refused to answer.

Another issue involved the underutilization of funds and documentary deficiencies in the OVP’s social services projects. As secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), Duterte was also questioned about the department’s failure to use more than P3 billion of its budget earmarked for learning tools and equipment, as highlighted by the COA report.

Feeling the pressure, Duterte accused Congress of engaging in a witch hunt. She was defiant and unyielding during questioning, even refusing to attend subsequent budget deliberations.

Enraged by Duterte’s defiance, the House Appropriations Committee retaliated by slashing her budget by 63%. Of the original P2.037 billion proposed for the OVP, the committee reduced it to P733.198 million, cutting about P1.2 billion. No funds were allocated under the ‘financial assistance’ item of the OVP’s budget.

If this budget stands, it will be slightly higher than the P712 million allocated to former Vice President Leni Robredo in 2022. Fate, it seems, is playing another cruel joke on Duterte. Her father reduced Robredo’s budget during his presidency, and now, under former ally President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte faces the same experience. How must she feel now, receiving the same treatment?

This week, Duterte had another clash with Congress during a surprise appearance at a House Good Government and Public Accountability Committee hearing. The session stemmed from a privilege speech made by Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano on Sept. 3, 2024. Valeriano questioned the benefits Manila residents received from the billions of pesos allocated to OVP’s socioeconomic programs.

Once again, Duterte provoked lawmakers by refusing to take an oath. After delivering a fiery statement, she left the hearing. “I will not allow myself to be subjected to an inquiry based on an empty privilege speech just so you can attack me and do indirectly what you failed to do directly during the budget hearings,” she told the lawmakers.

It was after leaving Congress that Duterte declared her “never again” moment. She vowed never to team up with the Marcoses again, revealing that she was never close to Marcos Jr. in the first place. “We don’t really talk. First of all, we’re not friends. We just met when we became running mates. Before that, we weren’t talking. We just started talking during the campaign because of the job,” she said.

Duterte’s revelations come amid the collapse of the UniTeam and the deteriorating relationship between the Dutertes and the Marcoses. The irony is not lost: a political alliance built on the promise of “unity” is now fracturing, with both sides locked in a war of attrition.

The Dutertes, once allied with the Marcoses, are now the ones shouting “never again” after experiencing their wrath. Their allies are being pursued and cornered. Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, a staunch supporter, was relentlessly pursued and ultimately forced to surrender. Another ally, Harry Roque, is also being targeted after defying Congress. Meanwhile, Duterte’s budget has been slashed, a move seen as a political effort to weaken her.

However, the Dutertes’ “never again” declaration appears hypocritical, if not laughable, considering they paved the way for the Marcoses’ return to power. They once idolized their former partners. It might have been wiser for the Dutertes to follow the path of Soledad “Nanay Soling” Duterte, Rodrigo Duterte’s mother.

Nanay Soling was a vocal activist who led rallies against the Marcos dictatorship. She was among those who shouted “never again,” a call her son and grandchildren ignored. Now, they are paying the price for turning their backs on the principles she stood for.

Gaba, mirisi, ti man!