Is the unity over?

Former president Duterte was back in the news last week. In his speech at a rally held in Davao City last Saturday, he called President Bongbong Marcos Jr. "bangag", the vernacular for a person high on drugs, and said he was on a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency drug list. He goes on to say the military knew of the president’s drug use. He was warned that what happened to his father might happen to him, alluding to the military staging a coup and removing him from office. Marcos responded that Duterte’s prolonged use of Fentanyl was the reason behind the tirade.

The PDEA stated that Marcos was not on any of their lists. According to Duterte, his information came from the PDEA. Recently, the PNP said they are not monitoring any destabilization plan against the Marcos administration. The AFP and DND have also stated they do not need a loyalty check from their ranks and will be loyal to the country's Constitution. I noticed they did not mention being loyal to the commander-in-chief.

Duterte had something more to say. He wants to campaign for the island of Mindanao to secede from the Philippines. That means creating a Mindanao state separate from the Philippines. He even told Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez to start collecting signatures from the people of Mindanao. Whether this is what Mindanaoans want remains to be seen. But many senators immediately thumbed it down. There is nothing in the country's Constitution that allows the country to be broken up into separate states. It cannot be done. I’m no lawyer, but isn’t there a law being broken here somewhere?

China is surely watching these events. I wouldn't be surprised if China wants that, as they will benefit from a leadership that is friendly to them. I also wouldn't be surprised if they even help Duterte's campaign if it pushes through. In any case, the Marcos administration must be steadfast in defending the integrity of the country.

I am not surprised at what is happening. Some have said the "unity" is over. It was only convenient during the campaign period. Do you recall when the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) was created for Vice President Sara Duterte, the first vice president to have one? Why was it even created? Did the vice president foresee that the two highest officials in the country would not get along moving forward, thus the need for their respective security groups?