Dose of pragmatism

This week crosses the four-week mark before election day — a critical and pivotal period for adjustments and recalibration of the campaign strategies and alliances that could spell the difference between winning and losing.

So, while the rest of the country retreats in observance of Holy Week, expect the “wheeling and dealing” to continue uninterrupted, albeit surreptitiously, over the course of the break.

Since returning home from The Hague, Vice President Sara Duterte has been deafeningly quiet — maybe to spend some quality time with her children and get much-needed rest before returning to the daily grind of fighting for her and her family’s political survival. This could also be an opportune time for the Duterte camp to regroup.

Quite possibly, the VP may have been meeting with her close confidantes, advisers and staff to come up with a plan on how to turn the political tide in her favor. She could have also met with her legal defense team to check on their preparations and to discuss strategies for the impeachment trial.

Other members of the Duterte family should take on some of the heavy lifting, particularly with regard to FPRRD in The Hague. VP Sara should focus on her own troubles here at home if she has any hope of surviving what is about to be “unleashed” once the election fever has gone down.

For her first order of business, VP Sara needs to get as many allies on that Senate jury. Yes, VP Sara’s reconciliation with her father could alienate supporters and voters wary of the controversial war on drugs, but this risk is overshadowed by the need to consolidate and assimilate FPRRD’s significant residual political capital with Sara’s.

With FPRRD in detention, whether she likes it or not, VP Sara is now the opposition PDP Laban’s de facto figurehead and leader. Neither Bong Go nor Bato dela Rosa can consolidate the opposition or influence and mobilize Duterte supporters like she can.

With the PDP Laban (and maybe Iglesia ni Cristo?) behind her, VP Sara broadens her political base alongside her strong regional and local alliances via Hugpong ng Pagbabago in Mindanao and parts of the Visayas. These alliances will be crucial in securing support for her acquittal in the impeachment trial.

If VP Sara manages to thwart Bagong Alyansa’s goal to sweep the 10 (given Imee Marcos’s and Camille Villar’s uncertain status within Alyansa) of the 12 seats up for grabs in the Senate, President Marcos Jr. will suffer another significant political blow (which he really cannot afford with his dismal approval ratings), not to mention, certain public embarrassment since he personally campaigned for the administration slate.

Finally, Duterte supporters’ disavowal and resentment of Manang Imee for her role in brokering the now defunct UniTeam have made them lose sight of the fact that she is actually a “low-lying fruit” for that crucial one vote for acquittal.

Once a shoo-in, Imee still has a strong chance of making a comeback in time for election day. As does Camille Villar, whose entire family rallied behind FPRRD after he was hurriedly “shipped off” to The Hague.

If they don’t make it, Sara stands to lose two sure votes in favor of her acquittal. Those rooting for the Dutertes should consider embracing pragmatism, if only for VP Sara’s sake.