Sinister elements of society, waiting on the fringes to exploit the simmering political cauldron, were believed behind the spread of deceptions that widened the wedge in the already polarized nation.

The arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 11 March has ignited a vicious political tension that some discredited forces are hoping to exploit for their resurrection.

Recently it was floated in several media outlets — indicating a funded operation — that Duterte had sought exile in China, only to be rebuffed by Chinese officials.

The claim added a layer of intrigue to keep the current situation volatile. Beijing dismissed the report as baseless, asserting that Duterte’s trip to Hong Kong was a private vacation.

The China plot has nonetheless fueled speculation and provided fertile ground for exploitation by actors that formed an unholy alliance of adversaries who were put in limbo for their violence and scheming.

Groups spreading malice seized the moment to accelerate friction and push the country closer to the brink of social unrest.

Opportunism thrives in moments of uncertainty, and Duterte’s detention offers a perfect opportunity.

The Marcos-Duterte alliance, once a formidable union that swept the 2022 elections, has crumbled in a bitter feud and reached the point of no return after the former president was handed to the ICC and with the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The administration, despite initially resisting ICC jurisdiction, shifted course, framing the arrest as a legal obligation to an Interpol informal request called a diffusion rather than a capitulation to the ICC. The pivot presented a twin opportunity to neutralize a rival dynasty and bolster a slipping image.

The miscalculation is showing its effects as Filipinos who believed in the determination and intent of Duterte in launching the war on drugs have exploded in protest.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), in particular, felt the gross betrayal with the handover of the former president to the authority of a foreign tribunal.

The exile rumor was also meant to strengthen the association between Duterte and China, long exploited to accuse him of treason, to no avail.

Most Filipinos are aware that Duterte sought the de-escalation of the tension with China to primarily allow our fishermen to access the rich fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea.

He brought up with Chinese President Xi Jinping the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that favored the Philippines on several occasions but he was predictably rebuked.

Administration allies in the House and the Senate had initially leaned on the ICC’s actions as a tool to discredit their rivals. The timing of Duterte’s turnover (some say “kidnapping”) to face trial before the ICC, two months before the polls, suggests a strategic gambit to weaken Duterte-backed candidates.

The strategy has backfired. The public, including those critical of the methods employed in the drug war, were offended by the trampling of our sovereignty as the war crimes tribunal substituted for a functioning local judiciary.

Such displeasure was highlighted by the withdrawal of the Office of the Solicitor General from representing the government in the habeas corpus case filed by Duterte’s children.

The OSG inhibited from the case to preserve the integrity of the judiciary which risks being trampled on by the ICC’s exercise of jurisdiction on not only a Filipino but a former president.

The image of a former president being hauled off to The Hague by foreign hands consolidated Duterte’s supporters and is expected to sway undecided voters.

The events at The Hague, complete with Philippine flags and cries of “bring him home,” illustrate how quickly sentiments were inflamed by the current situation.

The clash of viewpoints — vengeance versus vindication — threatens to polarize the nation further, which the forces from the extreme ends of the political spectrum have long awaited to push their grand agenda.

Vicious groups, betting on chaos to advance their destructive ends, are moving quickly to take advantage of the partisan clashes.

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