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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-9/leni-robredo-no-real-opposition-sm.webp" alt="Leni Robredo" />
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(Leni Robredo)
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Unfortunately, the Philippines does not have an opposition of that sort. Presently, this country only has a ragtag coalition that is united only in their dislike of President Rodrigo Duterte.
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Many are vocal against his antidrug campaign, which they portray as brutal and anti-poor. But they offer no alternative program or policy. To declare that the government should first address poverty - because that is the root cause of the drug problem - is a mere platitude. And by taking that line, explanations must be offered as to why the illicit drug trade also thrives in developed economies. First World nations are only better equipped to deal with that problem because, as we have argued in previous editorials, they have stronger public institutions. Perhaps the opposition could look into that line of thinking.
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Also, those against the government of the day should reflect on why their attacks on the President have been failing. They may be out of touch with the masses. Unlike President Duterte, they fail to recognize how menacing the illegal drug trade has become, how much it has frayed the fabric of society. Even if they recognize that, they still need to figure out what they would do to better address that problem.
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The <i>"anti"</i> factions also need to figure out their stand on the pandemic. The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus challenged just about every government in the world.
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Such a shock opened opportunities that the opposition could have exploited. Even in countries that were more successful than the Philippines in fending off the outbreak, governments were not spared of at least some criticism.
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Instead of presenting better programs and constructive arguments, the opposition here has made no noticeable impression on national discourse. The Liberal Party president, the underwhelming Sen. Francisco "Kiko" Pangilinan, barely registers. And former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has all but faded away from politics.
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A more boisterous figure among the Duterte rivals comes from the Nacionalista ranks: former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th. But his attacks on the President come off like schoolboy-goading. Besides, they often miss the mark because they are selective in facts and often detached from reality. Frankly, one would have expected more from a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy and of prestigious institutions like the University of the Philippines and De La Salle University.
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Of course, the de facto opposition leader is Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo of the Liberal Party. But she seems like an affable political figure, who tries her utmost to be unlikable. She deserved praise when, early in the health crisis, she transcended politics by rallying her staff and supporters to help medical frontliners. Even President Duterte was saying good things about her for a change.
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The Philippines do not have the class of opposition that can be worthy of a democracy