The art of silence

In the intricate world of Philippine politics, few moves are as deftly executed as the silent treatment.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is a virtuoso in this art form, especially when the music gets a bit too loud. Faced with two burning issues — the “overwhelmed” flood control projects that left Luzon and Bicol drenched, and Vice President Sara Duterte’s startling threat to exhume his father’s remains and toss them in the West Philippine Sea — Marcos has opted for a Zen-like approach: say nothing.

On the other hand, despite her reputation as a scene stealer, Sara too has embraced silence on a looming lookout bulletin for some of her subordinates who may have skipped a little too many House hearings.

Let’s start with Marcos and the deluge that recently took Luzon by storm, quite literally. After tropical storm “Kristine” left swaths of Luzon under water, a deafening public outcry arose: where was the flood control?

Given that flood control was a centerpiece of his last State of the Nation Address barely four months ago, many expected at least a word or two, if not a comprehensive PowerPoint, explaining where the plan went off course.

Instead, crickets. The Marcos brand has long been associated with opulent, ambitious projects; it’s a dynasty practically built on grand designs. However, with the floods, the design seems to be leaning more toward minimalism — minimalist as in minimal relief, minimal response, and absolutely no explanation from the top. It’s as if the art of keeping quiet is an inherited trait, a unique Marcos version of noblesse oblige: “Don’t explain, just maintain the mystique.”

On the other side of the silence spectrum, we have the Vice President known for her verbal bulldozing of critics, surprisingly silent in a curious switch-up. Her more vocal moments had turned heads, like when she bluntly threatened to dig up the late Marcos Sr. from the Libingan ng mga Bayani and set him adrift in the West Philippine Sea, presumably to make a point about loyalty or perhaps filial duty.

The threat sounded like something straight out of a telenovela — and she knows her audience.

Nothing like a dramatic flourish to rally support, right? But more surprising is her silence on the issue that several of her OVP officials may be heading for the Bureau of Immigration’s infamous lookout list due to their reluctance to participate in House hearings. Her silence here is less of a thunderous proclamation and more of a velvet-gloved evasion.

This master class in silence doesn’t come without its risks. Marcos seems to believe that if he says nothing, people might stop talking. Perhaps he’s right in thinking that people will eventually get tired of their soggy living rooms and waterlogged highways and just move on.

But there’s also a fine line between patient reticence and the impression that you’re ignoring real crises. Silence can project wisdom, but inaction risks projecting indifference. The waters recede, but will the memory of the floods and the state’s seeming impotence be washed away as easily?

Sara’s silence, meanwhile, is more like the calm before a storm. She might just be waiting for the opportune moment to strike back, but the threat of her officials being grounded due to potential lookout bulletins could be significant.

A House hearing snub isn’t typically a career-ender, but it does add a new layer to the already intricate political drama she’s embroiled in with Marcos. One might think that a quick comment could defuse the situation, but perhaps she’s letting the silence build tension.

In the end, she might be holding her tongue because the silence itself has power. If she were to speak on this issue, it might shift the focus from her threats to his father’s grave to her own political maneuvering — and let’s be honest, the spectacle of a possible exhumation probably polls better.

What’s our take on all these? Sorry to disappoint you dahlings, but with due respect to a late Lifestyle columnist who took society’s secrets to the grave, our lips are sealed … sometimes!

Mwah!

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