It will be a family brawl

elections may no longer be as remote, and two years before the midterms can just feel as if it is already here.

ordered it, and we have not been given that privilege by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

the peace and security of both countries, to ensure preparations to address principal challenges confronting the alliance; strive toward real-time information-sharing in collaboration with other departments and agencies to support deeper interoperability and operational coordination; enhance information security via consultations on policies, practices and procedures to protect classified defense and military information.

• Combat transnational and non-conventional threats – Improve cyber defense and cyber security cooperation to secure critical infrastructure and protect against attacks emanating from state and non-state actors; pursue capacity-building activities to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-related attacks and to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Prior to the adoption of the guidelines, the U.S.-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in Washington (involving the two countries’ defense and foreign affairs chiefs), issued a joint statement on April 11, 2023.

The two sides committed to do the following:

• Strengthen bilateral planning and interoperability through conducting “high-impact and high-value” joint military exercises. These characterized the largest-ever Balikatan live-fire war games held in April involving more than 17,000 American and Filipino troops, including a few Australian soldiers.

• Accelerate the implementation of EDCA projects and increase investments in U.S. facilities inside Philippine military bases to further support combined training exercises, interoperability and civilian-led Philippine disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

• By the end of fiscal-year 2023, the U.S. is expected to have allocated $100 million toward infrastructure investments at the five existing EDCA sites and to support the “swift operationalization” of the four additional sites approved by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last month.

• Complement combined military training exercises with USAID community-based activities in EDCA-related projects, including increasing access to safe water supply, education and health care.

• Expand cooperation, exchange best practices and increase “strategic convergence” in counter-terrorism and addressing grey-zone challenges, including protecting strategic infrastructure against attacks emanating from state and non-state actors; fostering “civilian-led, non-military counter-terrorism initiatives, where feasible and effective, using an inclusive, rights-based, victim-centered and whole-of-society approach.”

These are so many propositions needing to be fleshed out, thoroughly examined and critiqued –from the perspective of Philippine national security, economic and social well-being. Regarding U.S. funding support for the “swift operationalization” of the four additional EDCA sites, none so far has been reported onstream.

AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino admitted Wednesday that no “EDCA-related construction” has started neither on the Balabac, Palawan site (140 nautical miles from Panganiban Reef, now a Chinese military outpost), nor on the two sites in Cagayan and one in Isabela.

However, the AFP has begun building a three-kilometer runway and a concrete pier with beaching ramp in Balabac, which Gen. Centino checked on recently. The runway project is funded by the Philippine government at P700 million, for joint use by the Philippine Air Force and the Balabac municipality, while the pier (cost: P305 million) is being built at the Narciso del Rosario Naval Station.

Both projects will be offered for further development by the Americans as part of their EDCA site facilities in Balabac. (Philstar. com) * * *

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

I'VE said it before, and I will say it again. The political opposition that we used to know, which we colored yellow, pink and red, will no longer be the place from where the challenger will emerge. I would add another layer of crystal ball scenario-making to that prediction. Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is term-limited, the battle to succeed him will be an open political warfare not between his coalition and the now diminished political opposition. It will be a rumble from within his supermajorities in Congress.

And the battle for succession has now begun. Some say it's too early. That would be so for many of us who think of politics as a rational game of principled men and women. But when unbridled ambition takes over politicians, which is often, then there is nothing that could be too early. Five years before the next presidential

We are not privy to the transcripts of power grabs and backstabbing that may be happening in the corridors of power. What we only witness are the revelations coming from overt acts and coded statements, including one cryptic post of former senator Panfilo Lacson about a coup that is too early. I am of the belief that Lacson was not referring to the military.

What we saw is the unceremonious demotion of former president, former speaker and now former senior deputy speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from what many believed is a ceremonial position to now become just one of the many deputy speakers, which is actually also another array of ceremonial positions which I dare say are just one too many for a House of Representatives that is smaller than the parliament of India, or of Indonesia or even of Thailand. A demotion deserves an explanation from the one who

But what is more instructive is the political noise in the aftermath, with Arroyo stating that she had no intention of ousting Romualdez — this while party after party which are members of the supermajority came out expressing their loyalty to Romualdez. In politics, the events may not necessarily give you a direct answer. You will have to excavate it from the deflections, denials and affirmations of support. Romualdez must have an important reason to relieve Arroyo of her largely symbolic role. At the top of the list would probably be because she did something naughty and not nice. Arroyo admitted it herself. She said that her intentions were probably misinterpreted.

And then Vice President Sara Duterte made a move that only aggravated the speculation. Her resignation from Lakas-CMD, a party to which she, Arroyo and Romualdez all belong, is like that two red lines that indicate a positive test result, except that this

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and one is not about a virus, but about a rift that the vice president didn't want to be a part of, which she referred to as political toxicity. Duterte is a known ally of Arroyo. However, while one can interpret her move as a sign of protest at what her party did to Arroyo, it can also very well be, as she said, her way of extricating herself from being embroiled in a political melee. One needs to be reminded that Duterte and Arroyo have a history of figuring prominently in the ouster of one speaker named Pantaleon Alvarez. Tongues are wagging that it may not be farfetched that either that is what has happened, or to be fair to Duterte, that kind of talk may be the reason why she resigned from the party and detach from the toxicity to avoid being accused of doing the ouster dance once again.

There is another woman politician who was labeled by media then as a member of a formidable trio. Sen. Maria Josefa Imelda "Imee" Marcos is also close to both Duterte and Arroyo. She is fighting another war of her own on social media. She is caught up in this vitriolic clan cyberwar be- tween Marcos loyalists, renegade Marcos loyalists and diehard supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte. There are allegations made by Marcos loyalists who blame Senator Marcos for the actions of some of her loyal supporters and friends on social media involved in a take-down of the first lady, and for sowing divisive intrigue, including the allegations that the former spokesman for former vice president Maria Leonor Robredo is now somewhat already connected in Malacañang.

And then you end up with perfect material for our own version of "Game of Thrones," a political drama that whips the political fanbase who devote much of their precious time sowing and devouring intrigues from their favorite vloggers. The plot is just too delicious to conjure. The three women are probably suspected of making their moves now. And there is pushback. Meanwhile, the remnants of the vanquished opposition watch on the sidelines, cheering what they think as an implosion, a fracturing of the unity of the Marcos base hoping that it would benefit them.

Even if it is true, which I am not saying it is, it would not benefit them.

After all, the fight is within the family, or rather, within the coalition. All the parties involved in the controversy, including Gloria Arroyo, Sara Duterte and even Imee Marcos on one side, and for the lack of a better word, the Romualdez loyalists, and even the party of the die-hard Duterte loyalists, the PDP-Laban, remain loyal to and supportive of President Marcos.

My fearless forecast, for now, is that the 2025 midterm elections and the next presidential election cycle will be an internal brawl to succeed President Marcos. All of them will remain supportive of him, even as they would tear and smear each other.

But things can still change. The political opposition may just find itself being in bed with disgruntled Marcos or Duterte supporters. And we won't be a bit surprised if that happens. (Philstar.com)

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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.