Former lawmaker Leila De Lima  was released on bail in November 2023 after serving nearly seven years in prison. She expressed gratitude to the Marcos leadership for upholding the rule of law in her conversation.  ,
The terms De Lima chose are not an accident. The UniTeam Alliance, which won the 2022 Spanish votes with a resounding victory, was the growing political rift between the Marcos and the Duterte people.
In the Philippines, it is well known that former senator Rodrigo Duterte’s retaliation andnbsp were to blame for the imprisonment of De Lima, his social archenemy.  ,
When Duterte was the mayor and president of Davao City, De Lima led the research into described killings of alleged medicine suspects and human rights violations connected to him. The transfer of de Lima could increase the chasm between Duterte and President Ferdinand” Bingbong” Marcos Jr.
The Marcos and Duterte tents have been engaged in a social conflict for some time. Erstwhile president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was abruptly removed as Senior Deputy House Speaker in the first few months of 2023, making her Duterte’s alliance.  ,
There was no formal justification. However, there were stories circulating that Arroyo attempted to remove Martin Romualdez, the Speaker of the House and a near relative of Bongbong. Bongbong would have been weaker and more open to prosecution if Arroyo had been successful.
The dismissal of Arroyo , infuriated & nfrpa, Vice President Sara Duterte, Rodrigo Dutersp’s girl, who regarded him as a leader and alliance in Congress. Speaker Romualdez’s Lakas-Christan Muslim Democrats group saw Sara Duterte resign.
Additionally, she retaliated by calling Romualdez a dragon with no shame on social media.
A few months afterwards, Duterte faced legislative investigation regarding the use of discretionary funds by civilian government agencies to support their covert operations, which led to her being fired as vice president.  ,
After the vice president failed to explain how she spent 125 million pesos andnbsp ( US$ 2.25 million ) in 11 times in 2022, the Congress eventually stripped her of personal finances.
Sara Duterte’s father formally attacked the House of Representatives as a “rotten establishment” after the congressional investigation into her private money and her social embarrassment.
The House of Representatives decided to reject past president Duterte as a result of this. This might be yet another indication that the House no more fears the former president.
When the Chair of the Committee on Human Rights submitted a resolution in November urging the Philippine government to work with the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) in its investigation of Duterte’s war on drugs, the House dropped yet another bombshell.  ,
With a speech in which she asserted that allowing the ICC lawyers to begin their studies was unlawful, Vice President Duterte saved her family’s life.
Most recently, the Sonshine Media Network International, which is well-known for its close relationships to former leader Duterte, was the target of a congressional inquiry and was viewed as punishment for criticizing the House Speaker. The investigation also helps to dismantle the advertising apparatus of the Duterte family.
The Marcoses and the Dutertes are now engaged in a social conflict with weapons drawn. Alliances and democratic allegiances are changing as well.  ,
Former president Duterte’s political party, the once-dominant Philippine Democratic Party—Power of the People—is now andnbsp, nearly emaciated. Political butterflies left the Dutertes to swarm to Marcos and Romualdez’s events, leaving less than 10 % of its original account.
The implications for Sara Duterte’s social future may be serious, despite the fact that she was originally regarded as a “president in- waiting.” Deuterte’s approval rating decreased by two digits, from 82 % to 70 %, in October 2023. According to the most recent study conducted in December 2023, Deuterte’s believe rating had declined even further.  ,
Her social aspirations might be in jeopardy if she has insufficient access to common resources to improve her reputation. The connection between Bongbong and Duterte is likely to end due to UniTeam holes. The likelihood of Bongbong becoming Duterte as president may change if this situation develops.
According to Marcos Jr.’s poor track record on inflation and persistent corruption allegations, his approval rating , as well as nfspan, decreased in the second quarter of 2023. His poor leadership and inability to lower the price of rice and other basic goods are growing the ire of some.  ,
Leading economists have also flagged the , Maharlika Investment Fund, as a possible conduit for rent-seekers to rob public finances. This brings to mind the crony capitalism and oligarchy that characterized the government of his father. Marcos ‘ trust grade, however, slightly increased as of the most recent December 2023 poll, unlike Duterte.
The Marcos station is anticipated to aggressively consolidate power in the event of a social conflict. How Bongbong  functions and navigates will become crucial in determining his place in Philippine politics, with a likely” Marcos versus Duterte” political fight in the future.
Jenny Balboa is a professor at Hosei University’s Department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies as well as the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
This andnbsp, article, and was initially published by East Asia Forum and are being reprinted with permission from Creative Commons.