Digong x Inday Sara x Bongbong x Imee
Alfredo G. Evangelista | Assistant Editor
The saying “Politics make strange bedfellows” is attributed to American writer Charles Dudley Warner. (The term “strange bedfellows” comes from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.)
While many say politics have reached an all-time low in the United States, many also say the same about Philippine politics. Keep in mind there are Philippine mid-term elections on May 12 during which twelve of the 24 Senate seats are up for election, all 317 House of Representative seats are up for election and all local government officials are up for elections—including governors, mayors and legislative bodies. (Note: overseas Philippine voters can also vote online but must register by May 7 at https://ov.comelec.gov.ph/enroll. Online voting began on April 13 and will end at 1 a.m., Hawai‘i standard time, on May 12.)
Historically, Philippine politics were ruled by families. For example, in the Province of Ilocos Sur, Chavit Singson’s clan has ruled for ages. Likewise, the Marcos clan has ruled the Province of Ilocos Norte while the Duterte clan has ruled Davao City (the largest city in Mindanao). The Pagdilao’s (relatives of Dinengdeng & Pinakbet columnist Gilbert S. Coloma Keith-Agaran) have ruled the town of Pinili in the Province of Ilocos Norte. The Evangelista’s ruled the town of Paoay in the Province of Ilocos Norte (pre and post martial law) until they were replaced by the Clemente’s—also kinfolk.
Philippine national politics (the President and Vice President are elected separately—and not as a team as in the U.S.—and Senators are elected on a nation-wide basis) often feature alliances—some call them “party lists.” The sitting President usually heads one party list while the opposition heads other party lists.
When then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte ran for President in 2016, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano was his official running mate. Duterte’s opposition included Senator Mar Roxas (whose official running mate was Representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo) and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago (whose official running mate was Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.). Digong won over Roxas, Santiago and the others. Leni beat Bongbong by 263,473 votes, prompting Bongbong to file a protest with the Supreme Court of the Philippines (sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal), which was dismissed on February 16, 2021.
One of Digong’s first acts during his presidency was to fulfill a campaign promise to allow the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery) in Taguig, Philippines. The elder Marcos was buried on November 18, 2016. The January 2017 issue of The Fil-Am Voice asked readers “What Do You Think?” about Marcos being buried at the Heroes Cemetary. Here’s a sample of the mixed responses:
Danny, 56 years old of Wailuku with roots in Sinait, Ilocos Sur: “Marcos deserves to be buried there as a military man. He was a very good senator. He was a very good President of the Republic until he declared martial law. That is where the disagreements started. To the opposition he is a dictator and a human rights violator. To some of us he was still a hero. He was a hero for not allowing Philippines to become communist which the leftist wanted. So for us who didn’t want communism he was a hero all the way. The left never and didn’t understand that. So for me he deserves to be buried there.”
Kit, 31 years old of Wailuku with roots in Baguio City, Bataan, and Quezon City, “Marcos is not a hero. Heroes fight for freedom, not torture and murder 70,000. Heroes fight for justice, not fabricate fake stories and deny stolen, ill-gotten $10 billion wealth. Blatant lies and manipulation are not heroic acts. I support him being buried, but not at the Heroes Cemetery. The hasty burial ‘like a thief in the night’ was a slap and piss in the face for the families victimized by his tyranny, including mine, and a poison for future generations’ morals.”
Sigrid, 57 years old of Wailuku with roots in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte: “Even though he did what he did in the past, that’s in the past. He’s still a president and a hero, so he should be buried there.”
As President, Digong sought to combat the Philippine’s drug problems. Digong’s war on drugs, however, resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings by the police and other unknown persons.
The February 2017 issue of The Fil-Am Voice asked readers, “What Do You Think?” about Digong’s drug war. The response was mixed, as shown in the following responses:
John, 21 years old of Kahului, with roots in Candon City, Ilocos Sur: “I support his campaign because from what I know, he only targets/kills drug users/pushers. According to a Filipino news report that I watched (TV Patrol), once a person is convicted of drug use, police will make the person sign a waiver stating he is guilty of drug use and won’t do it again. If the person who signs the waiver gets caught using drugs again, I think that’s the time they take action against the person’s consequences. Right now, there is no proof that Duterte is the main reason behind these ‘extrajudicial killings’, but from what I know, most of the people in the Philippines are okay with it because, like I said, they only target drug addicts–not innocent people.”
Jojo, 41 years old, of Pā‘ia, with roots in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte: “The war on drugs, I personally agree to go against illegal drugs. But the manner how it has to be done should be looked into, the ones perpetuating that area are the ones being punished. There should be a law process, and due process should be given as well.”
Jorge, 50 years old of Kihei, with roots in Loyola Heights, Quezon City: “The end never justifies the means. You can’t trample on basic human rights protected by laws in the name of eradicating a social problem or building a better society… In other words, even a drug dealer or a suspected one deserves the chance to defend themselves in court, not just be gunned down because he’s a known ‘bad guy’ or worse, his name just showed up on some list.”
In 2016, Senator Leila de Lima conducted Senate hearings which ended due to lack of evidence, despite an alleged former member of the Davao Death Squad testifying about Digong’s involvement when he was Mayor. Later the witness’ attorney filed charges against Digong for crimes against humanity with the International Criminal Court at The Hague in the Netherlands (“ICC”). In March 2018, Digong initiated the withdrawal of the Philippines from the ICC, which became effective in March 2019. The Supreme Court of the Philippines would later state the Philippines, despite the withdrawal, was still obligated to cooperate with the ICC on proceedings initiated before the Philippines; withdrawal from the ICC.
The 2022 elections featured a repeat of the 2016 Vice Presidential elections—Leni versus Bongbong—but this time for the Philippine presidency. Davao City Mayor Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (“Inday Sara”) had initially thought about running for President but decided against it when Digong expressed his desire to run for Vice President. After some back-room maneuverings led by Bongbong’s elder sister Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios “Imee” Romualdez Marcos, Inday Sara decided to run for Vice President and became Bongbong’s running mate, with their partnership called “UniTeam.” Digong did not endorse Bongbong, and Imee was not up for re-election as a Senator.
Bongbong defeated Leni 31,629,783 (58.77%) to 15,035,773 (27.94%) while Inday Sara defeated Leni’s running mate Francis Pangilinan 32,208,417 (61.53%) to 9,329,207 (17.82%). After the election, Inday Sara was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Education. Soon, the “bedfellow” relationship began to deteriorate, with Imee stuck in the middle.
In September 2023, Inday Sara was questioned by the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance Committee for spending P125 M in 11 days.
June 19, 2024, Inday Sara resigns as Cabinet Secretary for Education.
November 23, 2024, Inday Sara states she spoke with a contract killer to target Bongbong, his wife Liza, and his cousin Martin Romualdez, the Speaker of the House–if Inday Sara were assassinated.
February 5, 2025 Inday Sara is impeached by the House of Representatives.
March 7, 2025, The ICC issues a warrant for Digong’s arrest.
March 11, 2025, Digong is arrested on the basis of an ICC complaint alleging crimes against humanity; Digong, along with an attorney is flown on a government jet to The Hague; Bongbong calls a press conference, claiming to be cooperating with Interpol, not the ICC; Pro- and anti-Digong protests begin.
March 11, 2025, Imee expresses dismay at the arrest of Digong and skips a rally for the Senatorial slate led by Bongbong in Tacloban City, Leyte.
March 20, 2025, Imee, as Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Relations, begins Senate hearings on the arrest of Digong.
March 26, 2025, Imee announces her withdrawal from the Senatorial slate led by Bongbong.
April 14, 2025, Inday Sara endorses Imee’s Senatorial re-election bid.
With many moving parts, the storyline is rapidly unfolding. Members of Maui’s Filipino community are watching, and several of them offered their comments and observations to The Fil-Am Voice.
Jonathan of Kahului with roots in Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur, notes: “Duterte and Marcos used to be in good terms, but that relationship subsided when Duterte’s camp supported Quiboloy and Duterte started to call Marcos some names and accuse him of using illegal drugs. That probably led to Duterte’s surrender to the ICC. Lesson learned: Don’t piss off a sitting President.”
Elmer of Wailuku, with roots in Magsingal, who recently returned from a trip to the Philippines, says: “The two families are not on good terms. Imee Marcos is questioning the illegal arrest of former President Duterte. It seems like Imee is siding with Duterte to get a vote from Duterte’s supporters. Imee quit from her brother’s slate of Senators, and she may not win this coming election. Not a good idea.”
Mike of Wailuku, with roots in Pangasinan and Paoay believes: “Bongbong Marcos still respects the elder Duterte even though he labeled him as a weak president. The Marcos’ and Duterte’s relationship went down sour after the Congress want to open up an investigation of possible corruption of the confidential budget of the vice president Sarah Duterte. It got worse when supporters of each side throw misinformation at each party. Because of too much fake news going on in social media, it is hard nowadays to believe what’s happening between the two parties.”
The upcoming mid-term elections will test which bedfellows the voters want; the presidential elections in 2028 will be affected. Lilia of Pā‘ia, with roots in Siquijor, says, “Sara Duterte should be the next President.”
Chamille of Lahaina with roots in Banna believes both President Digong and President Bongbong will do the right thing: “In my opinion, if ex-President Duterte is found guilty of any cases being processed or presented against him, then have President Marcos do his thing. He has all the right to make things right! And I’m sure ex-President Duterte will follow and cooperate; after all, he was once the President, and I’m sure he knows the drill.”
Rick of Lahaina with roots in Panganisan observes: “Though my visit in the Visayas (Cebu and Iloilo) and Mindanao (Davao City) and in Manila was before the arrest of the former President, I feel the political situation was already contentious. Duterte’s arrest exacerbated the state of affairs between the two families and their followers. The very volatile situation might lead to another People Power or worse.”
Virgilio of Kahului, with roots in Paoay, sums it up by saying: “It’s not healthy for the country.”
Assistant Editor Alfredo G. Evangelista is a graduate of Maui High School (1976), the University of Southern California (1980), and the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law (1983). He is a sole practitioner at Law Offices of Alfredo Evangelista, A Limited Liability Law Company, concentrating in estate planning, business start-up and consultation and nonprofit corporations. He has been practicing law for 41 years (since 1983) and returned home in 2010 to be with his family and to marry his high school sweetheart, the former Basilia Tumacder Idica.