It is always near the holding of national elections that the political cauldron boils over, like what is transpiring now, which is expected to have a great bearing on the political landscape.

Confounding those who were eavesdropping on the outburst of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, former President Rodrigo Duterte has used his patented double-talk to deliver a message.

The underlying signal is as clear as the blue sky. He mentioned a plan to meet with junior military officers to “lay down the cards” about the current situation.

When asked the purpose of the meeting, Duterte said it would be a consultation sought by a concerned civilian.

The social temperature has been heating up, which fits the design of the destabilizers who are ensconced in the House of Representatives as legislators but who have a hidden agenda to topple the government.

In every House inquiry involving the former president and the current Vice President, members of the so-called Makabayan bloc, who represent the legal fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines, hound the invited “resource persons” and whenever possible cite them in contempt.

With the record number of contempt orders issued by the House on the instigation mostly of left-wing congressmen, Supreme Court Chief Justice Alex Gesmundo penned a ruling that states: “The contempt order issued against petitioner simply stated that he would be arrested and detained until such time that he gives his true testimony, or otherwise purges himself of the contempt. It does not provide any definite and concrete period of detention. Neither do the Senate Rules specify a precise period of detention when a person is cited in contempt.

“The Court rules therein that if the House of Representatives desires to punish the person cited in contempt beyond its adjournment, then criminal prosecution must be brought. In that instance, the person shall be given an opportunity to defend himself before the courts,” the ruling said.

The Vice President said that a challenge to the House’s weaponization of its contempt powers to intimidate witnesses or resource persons is on its way to the High Court.

Leading the charge in the House inquisition committee is left-wing Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Rep. France Castro, a convicted child abuser.

In 16 July 2024, Tagum City Regional Trial Court Branch 2 convicted Castro and former party-list representative Satur Ocampo of child abuse in a case involving 14 minors in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

Castro, Ocampo, and 11 others were sentenced to four to six years in jail for violating Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. The case is on appeal.

The Commission on Elections said it cannot disqualify Castro until the conviction becomes final and executory.

Castro, who has nothing to lose, has acceded to being used as an attack dog against Rodrigo Duterte whose initiatives had led to the decimation of the communist movement.

Duterte took a localized approach in solving the decades-long insurgency problem that resulted in many guerrillas of the New People’s Army rejoining mainstream society.

The armed struggle progressively weakened after the revolutionary tax collections were greatly reduced. Overseas funding had also dried up. European institutions were warned they were abetting terrorism by funneling money to CPP legal fronts.

Thus, Castro and her comrades have a big axe to grind against Duterte.

Those who employ Castro and her ilk in the communist movement must be reminded that they are feeding snakes and they may wake up one day with the fangs of the deadly vipers deep in their hands.