Vanity is Duterte’s favorite sin

Former President Rodrigo Duterte has aggressively clung to his narrative that the “war on drugs” was a necessary evil, aimed at protecting the general population from the threats of drugs and criminality.

During the latest Quadcomm hearing, Duterte conceded that he subscribes to Machiavelli’s political philosophy, embracing cunning and, in the case of his war on drugs, the ruthless use of power to achieve desired outcomes.

This strategy, after all, propelled him to the presidency, casting him as a father figure — “Tatay Digong” — who would not hesitate to employ extreme measures to protect the family and the barangay. As both mayor and president, Duterte adopted what Machiavelli termed “virtu” — or military valor — by enabling the police to carry out political actions based on so-called “realities on the ground,” rather than ideological principles.

However, these bold pronouncements did not serve him well, especially with pending crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Duterte’s self-proclaimed Machiavellianism is ultimately misguided. Machiavelli wrote The Prince within the context of a monarchy, where the king was answerable only to himself. The Philippines, however, is a democratic and republican state where the rule of law is supreme, and Duterte, as president, was bound by the Constitution.

In my view, these are the critical points the Quadcomm hearing exposed. Duterte’s obsession with popularity and relevance has left him vulnerable to serious legal consequences. ICC judges will certainly scrutinize his recent statements as they consider the moral weight of the charges against him.

The political rhetoric that once empowered Duterte no longer holds sway. Without control over government resources and influence, his era is fading. The Quadcomm hearings are beginning to expose the Duterte leadership as riddled with illegal POGO operations, murders, political elimination, and corruption within the so-called war on drugs.

Duterte’s recent statements, far from generating public sympathy, have instead revealed significant fractures in his political base. The rapid decline of his daughter’s trust ratings in the NCR underscores that the Dutertes are fast losing support from the middle class. This demographic is beginning to see through the myth of the “war on drugs” — a campaign that was less about ending the drug problem and more about consolidating power. Duterte’s repeated extensions of his “six-month” promise revealed the emptiness of his promise to end drugs and criminality.

The war on drugs was, in reality, a vehicle to satisfy Duterte’s hunger for power, a manifestation of his allegiance to Machiavelli’s ruthless pragmatism. But now, without the propaganda machinery that once played to the middle class’ baser instincts, his rhetoric rings hollow. It is now merely rhetoric, without political impact, but likely to carry significant legal consequences in the ICC proceedings.

In short, Duterte’s posturing now serves no purpose beyond gratifying his vanity — his favorite sin.