The tandem of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., or BBM, and Sara Duterte is set to lead the country in the highest positions of power until 2028.

The Marcoses and the Dutertes are two of the most influential political families. Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Bongbong’s father, who served the longest as president of the Philippines—a record of 20 years in office—is most remembered for his declaration of martial law. Thousands of individuals were arbitrarily imprisoned, and thousands more were tortured, vanished and executed under Marcos Sr.’s nine-year military rule.

The term of Marcos Sr. was also plagued with corruption and stolen funds, and as of 2020, the government has recovered over P174.2 billion of the Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth, with P125.9 billion more still pending litigation.

Meanwhile, incumbent President Duterte is known for his war on drugs, which became an avenue for extrajudicial killings. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the overall number of suspects slain in the government’s fight on illegal drugs has reached 6,235 as of February.

Given this history, it’s only natural for the public, especially the youth, to raise concerns about what they can expect under the leadership of the Marcos-Duterte heirs.

We sat down with associate professor Dennis C. Coronacion, Ph.D., president of Philippine Political Science Association and chair of the political science department of the University of Santo Tomas, to get a clearer view on what we can anticipate from the incoming administration.

What can we expect from the incoming Marcos-Duterte administration?

To answer that, we need to look at the BBM-Sara tandem consisting of two different personalities, leadership styles and policy agenda. Both BBM and Sara are conservative political leaders, although the latter displays a hardline stance on some issues of national importance, like protecting the students from the influence of the left-leaning groups and the revival of the military training program for the youth.

Based on his track record as a public servant and anecdotal accounts I came across, BBM strikes me as traditional, conservative, family-oriented and an ordinary leader. I do not see him as a visionary type of leader, unlike President Duterte who promised to get rid of the drug problem no matter what the cost was.

It means that when BBM ran for president, he was largely motivated by the desire to redeem his family’s reputation and uphold his father’s legacy. This is why he does not see any problem with the idea of continuing the conservative agenda of the outgoing Duterte administration. In fact, during the campaign, BBM vowed to continue some of the major projects and policies of Duterte, though with some modifications, such as the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, the anti-illegal drugs campaign, anticommunist insurgency and the pro-China foreign policy.

After she won vice president, Sara has shown that she can take a hardline position on matters relating to the youth and education. I am wondering how her hardline stances will influence BBM’s decisions on key policy areas. This unfolding dynamic between the two top leaders is something that observers of Philippine politics are very interested to watch.

Can Marcos Jr. declare martial law?

Yes, BBM is allowed under the 1987 Constitution (Article VII, Section 18) to declare martial law on two grounds: invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it.

But there are constitutional safeguards to the declaration of martial law. First, there is a need for the president to inform Congress immediately about the declaration of martial law and get its approval, especially if he/she wants to extend martial law beyond the 60-day limit.

Second, when martial law takes effect, it doesn’t automatically suspend the privilege of writ of habeas corpus.

Marcos Sr. was able to declare martial law and had it put into effect for a prolonged period because he tinkered with the 1973 Constitution, which allowed him to exercise legislative power and undermined the government institutions that could have checked his increasing powers, including Congress and the Supreme Court.

This can never happen today under the BBM presidency because of the restrictions inscribed in the 1987 Constitution and the presence of things that were not around yet during Marcos Sr.’s martial law regime, including the internet and social media, local and international civil society organizations, and government institutions such as the Commission on Human Rights, international bodies such as the International Criminal Court.

Under what circumstances would BBM be forced to declare martial law? At this point, I think it is a remote possibility. If ever he entertains the idea of doing so, it would be in the face of extreme challenge to his leadership by some sectors, such as the communist insurgents or military adventurists or an imminent threat of being ousted through people’s revolt. These are all speculations, of course.

Do you think that the Marcos-Duterte administration would limit or pose a threat to the freedom of the press? On May 17, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency chief Alex Monteagudo Red-tagged Adarna House for their sale of martial law-related books. Do you think that this is alarming?

If I were to base my answer on how BBM dealt with the media during the campaign period, I think he would rather avoid engagements with the mainstream media instead of having some of them closed for being critical toward him and his government. As for the crackdown of publishers that print books with subversive contents, I think that would fall under the area of the future Department of Education secretary.

Do you think that BBM will try to reframe the public’s perspective regarding his family and try to revise the history of martial law? Do you think this is the reason Sara was appointed as secretary of the Department of Education?

Yes, I think that he’s going to alter how the public perceives his family. One way to achieve this is through the use of various social media platforms. His campaign was quite successful in this area and there is a likelihood that activities relating to historical revisionism and disinformation campaign might enjoy government backing. Another way of reshaping the public perception about the Marcos family is through the revisions of educational materials.

Do you think that BBM’s administration may pose a threat to activists? Do you think that there will be extensive Red-tagging toward anyone who speaks out against the government?

Yes, I believe so. BBM promised to continue President Duterte’s anticommunist campaign, so I think that the same methods used in the past six years, such as Red-tagging, will continue to be used in the next six years.

What good things can be expected from the incoming administration?

If there’s a policy area where the BBM administration is expected to perform well, I think it will be in the economic area. We just heard the names of the individuals who will make up his economic team and they seem to be the right persons for the job, especially as we need to sustain the modest economic gains over the past few months. The likes of [incoming Finance Secretary] Benjamin Diokno will be at the helm of our country’s economic and financial institutions, so they will most likely continue to adopt the same fiscal policies and monetary policies that enabled us to survive the economic hardships caused by the pandemic.

What’s your message to the youth who are anxious of what may come in the incoming administration?

Our future as a nation always looks uncertain under the leadership of any politician. So if our country’s top leaders start to behave in a manner that would make us fear for our lives and well-being, the youth should not be afraid to do the right thing based on their conscience and Christ’s teachings. —CONTRIBUTED INQ

The author is a Behavioral Science student at the University of Santo Tomas.