Common enemies… for now

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is a popular proverb suggesting two opposing or unrelated parties should form a temporary alliance against a common, shared foe. It implies shared hostility towards a third party to forge a functional, albeit, a reluctant partnership. At worst, an artificial alliance for mutual benefit of both parties vs their common enemy.

This is the most played strategy in politics. Filipino politicians have transformed this into a master craft of survival.

Let us look at the leaders of the PDP-Laban, who joined us during the first anniversary of our weekly TV show “PolitikoTalks” at the Bilyonaryo News Channel (BNC). Yes, it’s been one year since we started PolitikoTalks, aired every Friday from 8 to 9 p.m. on the BNC and telecast on Cignal Cable and also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.

The big guns of the PDP-Laban, or the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, arrived in full force. Led by Senator Robinhood Padilla; lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, deputy spokesperson of the PDP-Laban, and freshly-minted lawyer James Patrick “Jimmy” Bondoc, deputy secretary-general of the PDP-Laban Visayas.

An accomplished singer-writer, the 51-year-old Bondoc is fondly dubbed as the “abogado-musikero” among the triumvirate of panelists in our PolitikoTalks show. The third member of the PolitikoTalks panel is another lawyer, Jesus “Jess” Falcis dubbed as the “abogadong laging may opinyon” because of his unfiltered personal views on every topic he latches on. Very active in social media blogging, Falcis is much identified with thousands of like-minded followers from the so-called “pink-lawans” who quarrel cantankerously online with the DDS (or Duterte Diehard Supporters).

Topacio, who is also active in his own personal social media engagements, had tangled online with Falcis over legal and political differences. When Bondoc tried to mediate, he did not expect Topacio would refuse a gentlemen’s handshake with fellow lawyer or compañero Falcis. This not-so-friendly encounter went viral after Bondoc posted on Facebook this video clip taken in a chance encounter at the BNC studio a few weeks back.

Before we started the show, Topacio’s first gesture was to offer a big handshake and hug to Falcis and both posed for photo. “Let’s be friends. The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Topacio quipped and guffawed, with Falcis in agreement.

As the TV cameras started to roll, Topacio walked all the way to where Falcis was seated at the end of the table for a replay. Falcis quickly stood up to meet him half-way. Not to be outdone, Padilla and Bondoc did their own “bro” hugs.

Padilla took the occasion to highlight that PDP-Laban is a “reconciliation” political party as he raised the patented clenched fist symbol of PDP. And at the same time, he raised his other hand with the two-finger gesture of the letter “L” for Laban that stood for the pink and yellow (pink-lawan) ranks. “This is the real unity team,” Padilla quipped. It was an obvious dig at the defunct UniTeam of then candidate and now President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) and then Davao City mayor and now Vice President Sara Duterte.

It was as if we’re having a PDP-Laban convention at last Friday night’s anniversary edition, with key leaders of the political party identified with former president Rodrigo Duterte. Actually, it was a day after the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled to proceed with the trial of the erstwhile Philippine president for his alleged crimes against humanity. Also taking place on the same day last week was the resumption of the House committee on justice hearings on the impeachment case against VP Sara, the ex-president’s eldest daughter.

Detained since March last year at The Hague, Netherlands, ex-president Duterte has turned over the leadership of the PDP-Laban to the next generation of leaders. It was not handed down though to VP Sara as the highest elected leader adopted by the PDP-Laban under the defunct UniTeam in the May 2022 elections.

Ironically, it was given on a silver platter to youngest Duterte son, now Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste.” The move was seen as the “Plan B” of the PDP-Laban should VP Sara later on get impeached and barred from public office as punishment. Since VP Sara publicly declared already her intention to run in the next presidential elections in May 2028, the PDP-Laban has drafted her as the party’s most formidable standard bearer.

So two weeks ago, acting PDP-Laban chairman Al Cusi formally swore in Mayor Baste to take over from Sen. Padilla as new party president. “I am now just an ordinary member of the PDP-Laban,” Padilla stressed. It was not as if he was bolting from the PDP-Laban, Padilla hastily clarified.

Padilla, however, hemmed and hawed when pressed about the much rumored tandem with VP Sara as her vice presidential runningmate in 2028. He did not reject outright the rumor. Offhand, he ventured the idea “to ask Inday Sara” to appoint him as a Cabinet adviser to head of Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC) in case their team-up indeed turns into reality.

“So I can kill all the criminals and join president Duterte at the ICC jail,” he wisecracked. In fact, he cited jokingly, the ICC refused to allow him inside its detention premises several times in his attempted visits at The Hague. An ex-convict himself, Padilla was granted presidential pardon.

Levity aside, Padilla admitted he was the one who advised fellow PDP-Laban Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa “to hide” following leaks of a supposed ICC warrant of arrest against the former PNP chief as co-accused of ex-president Duterte in the same ICC case. “Kasi magkakapatayan na kapag itong mga foreigners aarestuhin sya sa Senado. Over my dead kuko,” Padilla joked anew.

The popular senator-actor swears he is ready to retire from politics, being frustrated with the broken government system in our country.

Surely though, Padilla gets the typical politicians’ advice. Always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much. Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.