Weekly Brief
By most measurable terms, Philippine democracy has come of age. It's time a MODERN Opposition steps up.
In review and in prospect
In less than a week, the popular presidency of Rodrigo Duterte will come to an end and the Second Marcos Presidency will begin. An utterly-decimated Philippine Opposition has been reduced to mere nitpicking and childish heckling, still focused on the obsolete anti-Marcos, fascism scare mongering, and Martial Law Crybabyism that all but proved ineffective at converting Filipino voters to their “cause”. The Opposition have resorted to making mountains out of long-abandoned molehills.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) last week began a crackdown on Web channels for communist propaganda — blocking access to sites like Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly for starters. Despite the predictable stink raised by the usual “activists” backed by “thought leaders” of Yellowtardom, very little of this “issue” resonated with ordinary Filipinos. One should consider that the rhetoric spewed by these sites were made pillars of the Opposition campaign in these elections. The landslide vote that buried said Opposition in May is a resounding hint the communists and Yellowtards should learn to take. Blathering about the very stuff that contributed to their loss and expecting sympathy from the Filipino public is clear evidence of insanity.
One of the biggest pieces of news to come out of the United States last week was the overturn of the Roe versus Wade precedent by the US Supreme Court that paves the way for states to effect severe restrictions on abortion procedures. The fragmented way with which the Opposition camps in the Philippines (which generally tend to ape US liberal activism) responded to all that illustrates the conundrum of the members of a clique that like to fancy themselves America's little brown progressives. That their camp’s bid for this year's “important” elections leaned on the backing of the Roman Catholic Church pretty much pulls the rug right out from under their feet when it comes to any further claim to “woke” ascendancy. Indeed, their leader outgoing “vice president” Leni Robredo herself toes the Catholic line making clear her position against abortion.
To most Filipinos, the next six years will be a journey down a path they had made themselves comfortable with over the previous six years of the Duterte administration. Understanding and accepting that is a key consideration the architects of any new Philippine Opposition need to embrace. Filipinos have significantly evolved over the last several decades. Technology has irreversibly changed the media landscape and created a new class of opinion shapers. New winners are set to write the next chapter of Philippine history. It's time the Opposition transform itself into a modern political force to be a part (rather than merely “dissent” to their outcomes) of this new order — one that a modern democracy that has come of age needs.
Last week's blog posts
June 22, 2022 by benign0
"The defense is rabid and dishonest, going to the extent of issuing blatant lies as Roby Alampay, 'Founder, Chairman and Editor-at-Large of PumaPodcast' does in this tweet."