Recently, Philippine politics staged a family drama for the outside world, and the plot is very exciting. When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was eager to liquidate the Lao Du faction, his wife, that is, the first lady of the Philippines, Lisa Alaneta-Marcos, also went straight to the stage, criticized Philippine Vice President Sara in public, and made it clear that there was a holiday between the two people, which also led to another escalation of tensions between the two major political families in the Philippines.
In fact, as early as a few months ago, many Philippine media noticed that when attending the event, although the first lady and Lao Du's daughter Sara sat next to each other, the two sides neither greeted nor communicated, and it was inferred that the two had a holiday. Now that the first lady has gone down in person, it can be regarded as confirming the speculation of the outside world.
And the first lady's dissatisfaction with Sara has to start with a rally a few months ago. At that time, because of disagreements on the handling of relations with China, Lao Du and Marcos Jr. completely tore their faces, and the two held a rally at the same time and staged a "showdown in the air".
[Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Lisa Alaneta-Marcos]
During this period, Lao Du publicly criticized Marcos Jr. as an "addict", but when the camera swept over Vice President Sarah, it caught the smile on her face, and this scene was recorded. It was this "laughter" that caused strong dissatisfaction among the first lady. She thinks Sarah, as vice president, should stand with Marcos Jr. instead of standing there laughing.
At the same time, he also emphasized that if Sara did not apologize publicly, she would not let the matter turn the page. But to say that just because of a "laugh", there was such a big commotion, the first lady's heart is too small. So the essence of this matter actually stems from the contradiction between the two families.
Recently, Marcos Jr. launched a vigorous liquidation campaign against the Lao Du faction. First, the District Court of Davao City, Philippines, ordered the arrest of Quiboloi on charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse of women, and this Quiboloi has another identity, that is, Lao Du's "spiritual mentor". It didn't take long for another of Du's old friends, Rep. Alvarez of North Davao City, to be targeted, and the Philippine police believed that he had instigated a rebellion within the Philippine army and launched an investigation.
In the face of Marcos Jr.'s menacing, although Sara did not clearly stand in line, it can be seen from his platform for his father that Sara has actually made a choice. According to the latest polls, Marcos Jr.'s support rate is 78%, while Sarah's support rate is as high as 83%, which means that Sara is more popular than Marcos Jr., and the situation worries Marcos Jr.
[Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and daughter Sarah]
And in addition to the first lady's accusations, Sara faces other troubles. A lawmaker in Manila, Philippines, recently issued a public statement demanding Sara's resignation as secretary of education, citing a series of charges against Sarah, such as being silent on the South China Sea issue and ignoring Lao Du's criticism of Marcos Jr., and demanding that Sara should draw a line with her family.
In fact, if you think about it, you can find that although the reason for the first lady's dissatisfaction with Sara has been said in the past, it has been a long time since now, and it is not a big deal. And the first lady chose to "turn over old accounts" at this time and forced Sara to apologize, obviously cooperating with Marcos Jr. to liquidate the Lao Du faction.
But it can also be speculated that when Marcos Jr. went home and closed the door, he may have complained in front of his wife that his ruling was hindered by the Lao Du faction, so the two planned this play. After all, publicly attacking the vice president is not a trivial matter, and without Marcos Jr.'s instructions, Lisa may not dare to do so. But Marcos Jr. is actually guilty of a big taboo in doing so.
[Marcos's sister Imei Marcos]
Usually, we all say that the male protagonist is outside, the female protagonist is inside, no matter which country, as long as it is a wise monarch, he will usually take strict precautions against the "lady" interfering in politics, which is what we often say "the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics". This is because if family members are involved, it can lead to disagreements and conflicts within the government, weaken the unity and effectiveness of the government, and thus affect the formulation and implementation of policies. In the long run, this could lead to political instability.
In addition, in the international arena, the actions of a country's president and his family members are seen as part of the country's image. If the public perceives that the president's decision-making is influenced by family members, it may cast doubt on the legitimacy and authority of the president and his government, leading to a decline in public trust in the government. For example, Kim Keon-hee, the wife of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, interfered in politics for personal gain, causing Yoon Suk-yeol to be attacked by his political party.
Worse still, such open political struggles do little to ease the family struggles in the Philippines, and may exacerbate existing political divisions and exacerbate social divisions.
And what makes the Philippines even bigger is the third daughter, that is, Marcos's sister Imei Marcos. On the South China Sea issue, Imeh Marcos, as chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, criticized Marcos Jr., saying that he had brought the Philippines into danger by escalating the conflict with China, and warned Marcos Jr. not to get too close to the United States. At the moment, Marcos Jr. is sandwiched between these three women, and his life is estimated to be not peaceful, but if Marcos Jr. is not insisting on going against China, why bother making national and family affairs restless.