Duterte stronghold over Leni

If VP Robredo fails in this important Cabinet role, the President only has to utter the words and she shall be instantly relieved of her duties, similar to what was done to her back in 2016.

This is not another commentary on how Vice President Leni Robredo will fail as the appointed drug czarina of this country engulfed in a never-ending battle against illegal drugs, or how the appointment should not be taken seriously, only with a grain, or better yet, a speck of salt. Baffled, befuddled, confused as the vast majority of people are, from the Philippines and the international community, her appointment is more well-thought of than what we will all ever know. One thing’s for sure — President Rodrigo Duterte is a political genius, and he has the Vice President in his fingers. What the public fails to see is VP Robredo is the President’s puppet now.

VP Robredo now has the rank of Cabinet secretary. Legal pundits will cite the doctrine of qualified political agency, also known as the alter ego doctrine, which means that actions taken by them in the performance of official duties are deemed the acts of the President, unless the President himself should disapprove such acts. To explain, the Supreme Court explained that this is “in recognition of the fact that in our presidential form of government, all executive organizations are adjuncts of a single Chief Executive; that the heads of the Executive departments are assistants and agents of the Chief Executive; and that the multiple executive functions of the President as the Chief Executive are performed through the Executive departments.”

To simplify, VP Robredo’s acts as drug czarina are deemed to be those of President Duterte, unless he rebukes them. VP Robredo is now an assistant and agent of the President, who cannot be expected to do everything as the Chief Executive. Necessarily, if VP Robredo fails in this important Cabinet role, the President only has to utter the words and she shall be instantly relieved of her duties, similar to what was done to her back in 2016 when she was unceremoniously removed as Housing secretary.

Dumb yellows are capitalizing on the appointment like rabid street dogs attacking a fresh pile of trash, though initially they dismissed this and even questioned VP Robredo’s qualifications and capabilities to lead the drug war. For a brief moment, the yellows went off script, truthful as to their opinion on VP Robredo’s lack of skill, but had to swallow back their words when she did the nearly unthinkable and accepted the appointment that felt more like a dare.

Just as giddy is the United States, solid ally of the yellows but shelved by this administration in favor of the Chinese and Russians, more than eager to jump into the Robredo bandwagon, which was reciprocated by the Vice President herself. Even the United Nations was given recognition by VP Robredo as she announced that she will meet with local UN officials to talk about their research on the drug problem. She is quick in doing catch-up with all the textbook knowledge she can muster.

Sen. Ping Lacson is fast to say that VP Robredo should not join field operations and her security must be top-notch. As the second highest ranking government official, her safety must be the concern of the entire nation regardless of political side, and presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo’s statement that her success is the success of the administration is 100 percent correct. The genius of President Duterte in this political chess match has led to her failure equating to his success as well — nothing to lose.

VP Robredo’s victory in the drug war will be a debt to the President, though it will be a tough task given the more than outstanding approval ratings of this administration. In Philippine politics, the true measure of success is in popularity, not numbers, and any less than convincing turnout will outlandishly mean that the President is better than the VP. Her failure means that she was never the right person for the job, and a repeat termination by President Duterte means the end of her political career.

Some people say that her success can be her golden ticket to the 2020 elections. The answer is false. President Duterte knows that his term is nearing its end, and it is time to make false amends with all political parties to ensure continuity in his administration. Never underestimate the President, he surely has a number of tricks up his sleeve. This political move has gigantic tidal wave-like effects in the political spectrum and the President has definitely stirred up the latter part of his term, enough for him not to be considered as a lame duck in still water.

In the meantime, President Duterte can focus on other things, such as Federalism, eliminating his other opponents, particularly the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and Islamic extremists. Some have said that the drug war can never be won, and VP Robredo seems determined to kill the drug pushers with her smiles and kindness. The gospel truth rather — President Duterte is the only one smiling in the room.