"Hinimok ng Pangulong Marcos ang pagkakaisa at mag-ambag sa pag-unlad…."

This was the storyline of print and broadcast media (except for the SMNI network, which has been suspended for being critical of the government) on Day 1 of 2024.

I do not really know whether President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. knows the meaning and impact of the words "pagkakaisa," which means "unity," and "mag-ambag sa pag-unlad," which I take to mean "contribute to nation-building, development, and progress…," all rolled into one.

"Unity" was music to the ears of the politicians we see on top of the totem pole today. It has been a deafening refrain. Mayor Inday Sara Duterte was way ahead of other presidential aspirants in all surveys and could have made it to the presidency with no sweat.

I had seen ambitious political figures frequenting Davao City to present themselves as her vice presidential running mate, and that included Bongbong Marcos, who always came with his big sister Senator Imee, perceived to be the best friend forever, or BFF, of Sara.

The sixth sorrowful mystery happened when Bongbong became the presidential bet. Because Bongbong was far from being winnable, the Unity Ticket and UniTeam were bannered. Factor in the promise to pursue the programs of PRRD, and the UniTeam won as surveys had predicted.

Hardly had the victory revelry settled, however, that the differences in political values and moral principles emerged.

VP Sara resigned from Lakas-CMD following the demotion of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Senior Deputy Speaker. 

The irrevocable resignation was prompted by what the Vice President said in a stinging message: "I am here today because of the trust of the Filipino people in me to lead and serve them and the country, and this cannot be poisoned by political toxicity or undermined by execrable political power play."

Obviously, VP Sara Duterte had smelled a dead rat in the gutter of the House of Representatives. A major shake-up in the House leadership followed the dislodging of those identified with Duterte and replaced with Romualdez rah-rah boys and girls in red skirts.

Then we got to know the meaning of execrable political power play, for in no time at all, the Makabayan bloc, which early on had denounced the Marcos-Duterte team as no different from the past Duterte leadership and the Marcos dictatorship, entered into an uncanny alliance with the House leaders to wage an attack on the Vice President, even flaunting a plot to impeach her.

Where was President Marcos Jr. at the time when there was a dubious shake-up in the House and while VP Sara was being vilified? Suspiciously quiet, leaving the ONE who made him president to fight her own battles.

The threat to the country is from within. For several decades, the CPP/NPA armed insurgency had been a vicious force that deterred development and progress in the countryside. Since the Duterte administration abandoned the peace talks and fielded the NTF-ELCAC alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the communist forces started to crumble.

Surprise of all surprises, however, President Bongbong Marcos announced the resumption of peace talks and, on a silver platter, offered amnesty to the New People's Army. The House leadership supported this while the Makabayan bloc celebrated.

Vice President Sara Duterte was not amused as she branded the peace negotiations with the Reds a deal with the devil.

Towards the end of 2023, more quirky events happened. Erstwhile pillars of the NTF-ELCAC, Lorraine Badoy and Eric Celis, who had a program on the SMNI radio and television network, were ordered detained for simply asking a question about Speaker Martin Romualdez's travel fund of ₱1.8 billion.

The House, in a rapid sequence of events, ordered the National Telecommunications Commission to suspend the operations of SMNI. In what could only be seen as an affront to former President Duterte, his program "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa," which had been running for nearly 30 years, was consequently taken off the air.

Early this week, the "For the Motherland" of Sass Rogando Sasot and Maharlika commentary programs on Facebook were taken down.

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture announced the arrival of hundreds of tons of imported rice, to the detriment of the farmers.

This was followed by another announcement that 14,000 farmers will receive aid of ₱5,000 each from the rice importation tariffs, as though this matters a lot. Farmers are not canine to be appeased with crumbs. 

The symptoms of abuse of power and a tendency to corruption demand our vigilance, for such is the price of freedom. The erosion of freedom has, in fact, begun.