In countless recent social media posts, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte can be seen totally comfortable with each other. In fact, I find them sweet to each other, although not romantically.
They are constantly shown ribbing each other and sometimes in either playful or respectful gestures, whether it be in social or even formal events.
In my humble opinion, this signals a very good start and hope that our country will finally and hopefully move forward faster and without any hitches.
After all, after quite some time, this is the first time in our country’s recent history that we will be run by a President and a Vice President who come from the same ticket and who are not only political allies but also evidently, good friends.
When the People Power Revolution installed Corazon Aquino into the presidency on February 25, 1986, she and her runningmate, Salvador Laurel, were sworn in as president and vice-president, respectively.
After the time of President Ferdinand Marcos and then Vice President Fernando Lopez, we have had only two elections that produced a president and a vice president from the same ticket.
The first was in 2004 when Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Noli de Castro got elected and then last May 2022, when Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte won.
In all the other elections that were held after 1986 and in between the said two periods, since the promulgation of the 1987 Constitution, we saw Presidents and Vice Presidents coming from opposing parties being elected to the position of the land’s two highest officials.
We all witnessed how things have gone from bad to worse when the sitting President and the Vice President belong to different parties that have been clashing politically, some even for years on end.
It is never politically healthy and has paved the way for endless fault-finding and blame-tossing, while the citizens continue to sink deeper into the quagmire of poverty and retrogession.
This is clearly one of the reasons why our country has difficulty moving forward.
Two opposing poles will always repel and under such circumstances, progress is stalled and the Filipinos end up as victims.
With the partnership of President Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte now in place, we can expect greater things to be achieved and consequently, a brighter future ahead for the Philippines.
Instead of pulling each other down, they will be taking a single direction, helping each other perform their functions to the fullest and to give their country and countrymen the best service they can possibly provide.
I know that deep in their hearts, they mean well for this country, no matter how some think otherwise.
Aside from the good intentions of President Bongbong to prove his and his family’s longtime detractors wrong, I am certain that his beautiful and intelligent wife Liza will also be greatly helpful to make him succeed in realizing his visions and goals for a better Philippines.
Liza will not be an ordinary First Lady, for sure. Given her legal expertise – she is not just another lawyer, mind you— we have reason to be confident that our President will be guided appropriately, properly and conscientiously.
Let us all hope for the best and pray that our new leaders, specially our new President and Vice President, succeed and perform their respective jobs well. Let us give them a break, because their downfall will also be ours.
***
(Comments and suggestions may be emailed to peoplestonightonline@gmail.com.)
