Political opposition told to consolidate to defeat ruling party

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE POLITICAL opposition should set aside their differences and welcome traditional politicians opposed to the ruling administration to defeat the latter’s bets in the 2022 elections, analysts said.

The opposition camp should embrace politicians who had “supported the Duterte administration but now realized that it is not worth supporting anymore,” said Antonio P. Contreras, a political science professor at the De La Salle University.

All critics of the administration are potential allies of formal opposition, he said by telephone. “The real agenda right now should be how to stop the Duterte administration.”

“There are people who switch alliances for principles,” Mr. Contreras said. “Unlike political butterflies who just go where the money is, politicians who want to enter into new alliances are people who have realized that they made the wrong decision before.”

“The problem in the opposition is that they are so idealistic and purist, so holier than thou that they box themselves in this very purist construct,” he said.

The newly formed opposition coalition 1Sambayan, which is composed by conservative, centrist, and progressive groups and individuals, is set to announce on June 12 its nominees for president and vice president.

The former ruling party should admit its failures in the previous years to avoid more political losses, said Dennis C. Coronacion, who heads the University of Santo Tomas Political Science Department.

“The political narrative of the Liberal party has been repudiated,” he said by telephone. “Their EDSA brand of democracy has been repudiated.”

“That’s partly because people have seen that the EDSA democracy is just the restoration of the elitist brand of democracy,” he said, citing Mr. Duterte’s hold on the popular imagination.

Mr. Coronacion said the opposition must recruit or tap leaders who have become popular because of their performance amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He cited two local chiefs in the capital region who, on several occasions, have criticized the government’s pandemic response.

“The Liberal Party may have failed in the sense that when it was in power, it did not push enough reforms that would have strengthened parties, including itself, and democratic elections,” said Maria Ela L. Atienza, a political science professor from the University of the Philippines.

As long as Philippine politics “remains personality-oriented and there are no laws punishing turncoats and favoring strong party programs over candidates and personalities, it will be difficult to focus so much on parties,” she said in an e-mail.

“If the opposition, and we are not talking just about the Liberal Party as it has few members now and there is a broad array of opposition groups with different ideological backgrounds, wants to win in 2022, they have to come up with a much broader coalition that will offer alternatives to people,” Ms. Atienza said.

While it is important for progressive sectors to enter into coalitions, there should be basic agreements about what principles and programs should be prioritized and cannot be sacrificed, she added.

“Otherwise, we might have a repeat of the anti-Marcos and anti-Erap coalitions composed of both some factions in the progressive sector plus elites, traditional politicians and other politicians,” she said. “These coalitions implode once in power and the elites are usually the ones that remain.”

Ramon C. Casiple, executive director of the Institute For Political and Electoral Reform, said the opposition might still win in the polls even if its ranks are divided.

“That would still depend on the actual strength of the candidates and the opposition,” he said by telephone. “The logic here is that you will have more chances of winning if you are more united.”

He cited the 2016 elections that Mr. Duterte won. “We have a long-standing experience that it’s difficult for a successor of a sitting administration to win.”

“The opposition should veer away from the anti-Duterte rhetoric,” said Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a lawyer and research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Policy Center.

It should have a “disciplined and laser-focused campaign” and there is “no room for silly grandstanding gimmicks,” he said in an email.

Mr. Yusingco said the opposition slate should unite behind a platform that embodies a post-pandemic recovery plan that should be “viable and coherent.”

“No room for slogans, soundbytes or pro-forma ideas. The challenge for them is how to communicate this clearly to the electorate,” he said.

Mr. Yusingco said the political message should “involve overhauling our public health system, instituting mechanisms to address climate change and establishing a blue economy.”

The opposition should focus on the Duterte administration’s human rights record and how it handled the sea dispute with China and the coronavirus pandemic, Ms. Atienza said.

“The opposition should focus on people’s righteous anger regarding poor pandemic response and the economic problems faced by a lot of people. But they should offer clear alternatives and long-term solutions, she added.