BBM and Inday Sara: Potential enemies

History tells us a very important lesson. The president and his vice president can be the best and the strongest of allies and friends, like Manuel L. Quezon and Don Sergio Osmeña Sr., in the pre- and post-Commonwealth era. Or they can be the best of friends first, then the worst of enemies later, like Cory C. Aquino and Doy Laurel in the post-EDSA years. This is a pattern or a curse and is bound to happen. It is a matter of time.

Remember that Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos Sr. were both Liberal Party leaders and allies in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s. When Macapagal ran for president in 1961, he promised to Marcos that, in exchange for the latter's support, Macapagal would not run for reelection in 1965. But Macapagal broke his promise. In retaliation, Marcos left the Liberal Party and joined the Nacionalista Party. He ran against Macapagal and won over the latter in 1965. This is relevant today because the partnership between BBM and Sara was brokered by Macapagal's daughter, GMA. The Macapagals really hate the Marcoses. They were together in the last election for their own respective political interests and ambitions.

Remember also that Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. of Cebu and Don Manuel Roxas of Capiz were the best of friends and both pillars of the Nacionalista Party. But when ambitions prevailed over friendship, Roxas left the Nacionalista Party and founded the Liberal Party with his Ilocano friend, Elpidio Quirino. Roxas died and Quirino had no opportunity to bicker with him. Quirino appointed a young guerilla leader, a Liberal congressman from Zambales, Ramon Magsaysay, who became so popular that he left the LP and joined the NP. Magsaysay, a new NP, defeated his boss, Quirino of the LP. Magsaysay's vice president Carlos P. Garcia was also an NP and never betrayed his boss, who died in that plane crash in 1957 in Cebu.

But in the next election, Garcia won a term of his own but his NP vice presidential candidate lost to Diosdado Macapagal of the LP. Garcia did not give Macapagal a Cabinet portfolio. He was an enemy. True enough, it was Macapagal of the LP who defeated Garcia of the NP in 1961. When Cory ran against Marcos in 1986, Doy Laurel, the strongest candidate, gave way to the widow of his friend, Ninoy. After the EDSA Revolution, Doy was given a premier Cabinet post. In no time, the two bickered because there was too much intrigue between the UNIDO group of Doy and the Laban group of Cory. Doy was ousted from the Cabinet and was thrown to the dungeon of political history. Remember also that GMA selected Tito Guingona as vice president, after she "stole" (to borrow Susan Roces' words) the presidency from Erap. It was Guingona who later denounced GMA in his famous "I accuse GMA" speech.

Notwithstanding the fact that BBM and Sara Duterte Carpio are from the same political team, the "marriage of convenience" between Marcos and Sara, concocted by GMA, is bound to turn into an intra-union dispute. Remember that Inday Sara got more votes than Marcos, more than 32 million, while BBM only got more than 31 million, according to the counting machines. Remember that Sara is a lawyer and BBM does not have a college degree. Remember that Inday as a graduate of the NDCP (National Defense College of the Philippines) and a full colonel in the reserves asked to be the secretary of national defense and she was given a consolation prize, DepEd. Remember that BBM ran under the Federal Party and Inday under Lakas. These are potential issues that could be used by sowers of intrigues, to drive a wedge between the two.

Mark my words. Before 2028, there shall be a collision between the two factions: the Marcos' solid north of Ilocanos and the Duterte diehards from the south. GMA will be with Sara. The Macapagals have hated the Marcoses since the 1960s. The Villars will be for BBM for they are all NPs. The Villars will support the one who can protect their business empire. That's all that matters to them. Then the atom shall split and a political atomic bomb is bound to erupt. The explosion can be earth-shaking and shattering.