Unity theme

As an offshoot of the assassination attempt on former president of the United States Donald Trump last Saturday, calls for sobriety and to remain united during these perilous times reverberated across American society. Trump survived with a minor injury during his campaign rally in Pennsylvania. He is making a comeback bid to the White House after being officially picked as the Republican Party candidate in the coming US presidential elections on Nov. 5 this year.

As the continuing coverage of the Trump assassination story unfolds, many, if not all, of those interviewed by CNN urgently called for unity and cooperation. A number of incumbent elected US officials interviewed by CNN wished to tone down the political rhetoric.

The 78-year-old Trump emerged with just a bandaged wound in his upper right ear at the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee last Monday. Sadly, despite two people being killed, including the shooter, hardcore anti-Trump groups spread conspiracy talks of his supposed scripted assassination attempt.

Amid heightened passion of the American people to the Trump slay bid, US President Joe Biden has been calling on the American people to stay calm and united as the priority things they all must do. Trump echoed the same call in his @realDonaldTrump “X” post a day after his near fatal slay: “It is more important than ever that we stand United...”

This brought to mind a recent news video on Prince Harry of Great Britain. The Duke of Sussex delivered a very moving speech last July 11 after accepting the Pat Tillman Award for Service. It was named in honor of the NFL player who enlisted in the military after 9/11 and died in Afghanistan in 2004 at age 27. Prince Harry, who served in the British Army for 10 years and had two tours of duty in Afghanistan, was honored for his significant contributions to the veteran community through the Invictus Games Foundation which he founded in 2014.

The 39-year-old Prince Harry obviously digressed from a prepared speech. With reference to the Invictus Games’ milestone anniversary, Prince Harry said: “This year, we are celebrating 10 years of witnessing life-changing impact and healing through sport. And while so much progress has been made since those first games, the world outside seems to be in an even more precarious state.” He went on to point out: “We live in an age marked by polarization and division. Conflicts rage around the globe. Anger and resentment towards those who are different seem to pervade societies everywhere.”

Prince Harry declared: “Our community challenges that. Our community proves that unity is not just possible, but formidable.”

Back here in the Philippines, our own political leaders who once teamed up in the name of unity during the May 2022 presidential elections have unceremoniously disbanded. Dubbed as UniTeam combining the political machinery of the so-called “solid north” of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the “solid south” of Vice President Sara Duterte, they routed their opponents.

But less than half-way into the term of the present administration, VP Sara resigned from the Marcos Cabinet. Effective tomorrow Thursday, VP Sara steps down as concurrent secretary of the Department of Education. PBBM named outgoing Senator Sonny Angara as his new DepEd secretary.

Cracks in the UniTeam first emerged when VP Sara unexpectedly quit last year from the Lakas-CMD. Since then, she has gone back to her regional party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago. The UniTeam though gains another political ally, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) chaired by Angara.

Cutting her ties with the administration’s UniTeam, VP Sara has lately been spending more time in her home province in Davao City. Earlier, she flippantly announced that there will be “three Dutertes” likely to run in the coming May 2025 elections. Except herself, she named her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and younger brother Congressman Paolo along with their youngest sibling Davao City Mayor Sebastian will probably run for the Senate race next year. Ex-president Duterte though immediately doused his daughter’s loose talks about his supposed Senate run, citing he is too old to go back to politics.

Speaking of politics, ex-president Duterte issued a statement expressing his deep concern on the assassination attempt against Trump. After all, Trump was once a “hotline” phone pal of Mr. Duterte during his watch at Malacañang Palace. He became a close friend of then president Trump, who attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit hosted and held in Manila in November 2017. At the state dinner for all the attending APEC heads of economies, Trump fondly called ex-president Duterte by his first name “Radrigoh” (Rodrigo) to request for another song number.

Following his China-shift, Mr. Duterte has had word war with the Democrat administration, then US president Barack Obama, Trump’s immediate predecessor.

From his retirement residence in Davao City, 79-year-old Mr. Duterte added his condemnation “in the strongest possible terms the attack on former president Donald Trump.” Duterte described the near fatal shooting of Trump as “a wake-up call that no one, not even a former president and leading candidate, is safe even in the most powerful nation on earth.”

Mr. Duterte could not help but raise suspicions on the motives of the assassination attempt which US authorities have yet to unravel. “Speculation that this violent incident has something to do with the upcoming elections is too difficult to resist,” he admitted. He went on to point out that many countries, including the Philippines, will be affected by the outcome of the US elections.

In particular, ex-president Duterte warned: “American policies under the Biden administration towards the Philippines, particularly the installation of a missile system in Ilocos Norte, have placed the Philippines in considerable danger.” Mr. Duterte echoed supposed “fear among Filipinos” that the Philippines might be sucked in a war if it breaks out anytime.

So why prematurely give up on the unity theme when such is the demand of the times? This should evoke the reality that it takes a lot of sincere efforts more than talking about how to achieve the elusive “unity” now being pined for by everyone.