Power-lust is a weed that grows only in the vacant lots of an abandoned mind. — Russian-American author Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
IT can be said that former president Rodrigo ‘Rody’ Duterte had one brand of brazen tactics—that of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and what is called as the ‘Politics of Exhumation’—all serving his lust for power.
For us Filipinos, making threats to desecrate a deceased person’s remains is deeply distasteful and disrespectful because it violates the basic expectation of human decency—that of allowing the dead to rest in peace.
And such desecration of the dead becomes even more reprehensible when used as tools of political retaliation, especially by someone holding high public office.
Yet, this is precisely what Vice President ‘Inday’ Sara Duterte-Carpio has admitted in threatening Senator Imee Marcos with exhuming the remains of the lady senator’s father, former president Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr.’s and having it disposed in the West Philippine Sea if the Marcoses didn’t cease their alleged political attacks on family.
This kind of brazen political posturing highlights a troubling disregard for basic respect and decency in the pursuit of power.
For those familiar with the Duterte brand of politics, however, this revelation is not surprising.
Built over decades from Davao City to the national stage, the Duterte legacy has been marred by a pattern of detestable actions that disregard basic human rights and decency. Rody’s ‘war on drugs’, highlighted with the death thousands, was emblematic of this approach.
The Duterte brand popularized the term ‘extrajudicial killings’ or EJKs, often paraded as a necessary means for the betterment of the country, and, when questioned pursuant to the letter of the law, justified through questionable ‘nanlaban’ narratives.
Mr. Duterte’s readiness to eliminate perceived threats took root in Davao, where his tough-on-crime approach as mayor included the formation of the ‘Davao Death Squad’ that targeted suspected criminals, often bypassing due process.
The former president has even openly admitted to giving directives to police officials to kill targeted drug personalities and criminals, assuring them that they would be protected under his leadership.
This strategy of rule by intimidation and extrajudicial actions was later replicated at a national level during his presidency, leaving a legacy in Philippine society that is characterized by a culture of fear, unchecked authority and diminished respect for due process.
Going back to Inday Sara’s recent threats, it only exemplifies the Duterte family’s style of governance that is marked by a tendency toward intimidation and impunity.
To use threats of digging up the body of a former president as a weapon in political warfare, particularly by a vice president, is an escalation of the same ruthless tactics employed by the Dutertes in Davao and throughout the whole country during their term in office.
It highlights a brand distinguished by reprehensible disregard for the living or dead. This incident is a stark reminder of the Duterte legacy’s commitment to unchecked power and retaliation that reflects a belief that no tactic is off-limits in their pursuit of political dominance. Fundamentally, Sara Duterte’s admission illustrates and solidifies the already well-known approach by the Duterte brand to governance: a relentless pursuit of objectives that disregards legal accountability and ethical responsibility. Filipino citizens should not focus their concerns on threats from a family that has long evaded justice, but rather on the condition of the country if this style of leadership continues to prevail.
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