A Nation Seduced by Blood: Duterte’s Ghost Grips the Philippine Ballot

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — April 14, 2025

AT A roadside karinderya (eatery) in Davao, a mother clutches a faded photo of her son, gunned down in Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. “They called him a pusher,” she whispers, “but he was just a carpenter.” A kilometer away, a rally throbs with chants of “Duterte pa rin!”—Duterte forever. Weeks after the former president’s arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, his allies aren’t just surviving—they’re dominating the Philippine Senate race. Senator Bong Go, his loyal aide, commands 61.9% voter support, while Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the drug war’s enforcer, surges at 48.7%. To the grieving mother, it’s a gut-punch; to the roaring crowd, it’s a defiant fist raised against the world. The Philippines’ May 2025 midterms are no mere election—they’re a battle for the soul of a democracy flirting with darkness.

Power’s Twisted Dance: Why Duterte’s Fall Lifts His Loyalists

How do Duterte’s allies soar while he languishes in ICC chains? It’s a volatile cocktail of defiance, devotion, and nationalism. Pulse Asia’s March 23-29, 2025, survey lays it bare: Go’s 61.9% and Dela Rosa’s 48.7% signal a voter base unmoved by global outrage. In Manila’s alleys, where stray bullets outnumber streetlights, people tell me they yearn for Duterte’s iron grip. “The ICC doesn’t patrol our nights,” a jeepney driver snarls. This is no mere fan club—it’s a cult of personality, fueled by Duterte’s raw defiance, his “kill them all” swagger now cloaking his proxies.

But there’s strategy in the chaos. Go and Dela Rosa don’t just inherit Duterte’s aura—they weaponize a narrative that paints the ICC as a Western tyrant. Dela Rosa’s recent cry—“Why let foreigners judge our fight?”—stirs crowds, echoing strongmen like Turkey’s Erdoğan scorning global critics. Their rise isn’t blind loyalty; it’s a rebellion against a world order Filipinos see as blind to their daily grind.

Then there’s Imee Marcos, the president’s sister, who ditched Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas (ABP) slate post-Duterte’s arrest. Her support crashed from 43.3% to 27.6%, leaving her outside the top 12. Imee’s defection screams betrayal in a Marcos-Duterte pact that once steamrolled 2022. Insiders say she’s dodging her brother’s ICC compliance, chasing Duterte’s loyalists. It’s a risky play—voters are punishing her, revealing a brutal truth: in this fractured alliance, Duterte’s shadow still dwarfs Marcos’s crown.

Voters’ Heartbreaking Betrayal: Choosing Loyalty Over Justice

Pulse Asia’s numbers expose a moral gut-wrench: 62% want Duterte to face the ICC, yet his allies top the polls. As someone who’s wept with families of the drug war’s 6,000—perhaps 30,000—dead, I’m stunned. Where’s the outrage for unmarked graves? In Quezon City, a vendor shrugs: “Human rights don’t buy rice.” With poverty at 18% and crime haunting dreams, Duterte’s brutal order trumps distant ideals. That 61.9% for Go isn’t a statistic—it’s a scream from a nation prioritizing survival.

This isn’t new. El Salvador’s Bukele, locking up 1% of his people, won hearts by slashing crime 70%. Like Duterte, he’s a strongman who delivers, and voters shrug off the body count. Go and Dela Rosa’s lead signals democracy’s slow bleed—accountability fades when justice feels like a luxury. The drug war, damned in The Hague, is the rocket fuel for their campaigns. It’s a bitter pill: transitional justice, meant to mend through truth, crumbles when voters value full bellies over empty promises.

Fame’s Dangerous Seduction: Celebrities Hijack the Ballot

Enter the circus: TV host Willie Revillame (35.7%) and the Tulfo brothers—Erwin at 51.1%, Ben at 35.4%—rule as media giants. It’s Trump’s America replayed, where stardom buries substance. Revillame’s cash giveaways win sobs on air; the Tulfos’ rants rally the “masa.” A Bulacan farmer beams, “Willie’s one of us.” But one of us doesn’t mean fit to govern. Revillame’s platform is a hazy vow of “help”; the Tulfos trade on anger, not answers.

Like Trump peddling tax cuts as showbiz, these stars sell trust, not policy. The cost? A Senate meant to challenge power risks becoming a reality show. Ask a Revillame fan about budget reform, and she waves it off: “He’ll handle it.” Blind faith in fame is a creeping rot—debate dies, drowned by cheers.

Martyrdom’s Dark Magic: Duterte’s Chains Fuel His Allies

Duterte’s arrest isn’t background noise—it’s the campaign’s pulse. Go and Dela Rosa cast him as a crucified hero. Go laments a “patriot jailed by outsiders”; Dela Rosa brands the ICC “a rich man’s gavel.” It’s a masterstroke, turning Duterte into a martyr. In Mindanao, where he’s king, a rally leader crows, “They can’t cage our love.” The arrest has made Duterte less man, more legend.

Marcos’s ABP candidates—Vicente Sotto (44.2%), Pia Cayetano (37.5%)—tiptoe. They pitch roads, jobs, sidestepping Duterte’s bloodbath. But they won’t cut ties—his voters are gold. Sotto straddles both worlds, praising Marcos’s “future” while saluting Duterte’s “toughness.” It’s delicate: embrace Duterte, lose moderates; reject him, alienate loyalists. Marcos stays silent, letting allies take the heat. Duterte’s martyrdom is a blaze—ABP wants its glow, not its scars.

Cracks in the Foundation: A Nation Divided Against Itself

The survey’s ±2% margin hides chasms. Mindanao, Duterte’s fortress, likely pumps Go and Dela Rosa’s numbers—72% there vote in blocs, unlike Luzon’s 33%. Visayas tilts Marcos, but Cebu’s elite flirt with Revillame. These divides fuel Duterte’s edge—his south votes as one. Luzon’s chaos weakens foes.

The opposition—Bam Aquino (28.6%), Francis Pangilinan (lagging)—is gasping. Their “Mga Kaibigan” crusade, big on reform, feels like a lecture in a storm. Aquino’s education pitch, Pangilinan’s court fixes, are noble but niche. A Cavite teacher sighs, “They’re decent, but weak.” Their urban, brainy tone misses rural rage. Worse, the system’s rigged: local bosses, Marcos-Duterte puppets, hoard cash and clout. Comelec’s glitches and dynastic ads—Camille Villar’s P1 billion blitz—bury reformists. The fight’s unfair.

A Desperate Plea to Save Democracy

The Philippines teeters on a razor’s edge. A Duterte Senate sweep will enshrine his legacy, greenlighting strongmen who see blood as votes. Marcos’s crew, complicit in silence, risks blessing this path. The opposition, fractured, must ignite—not with ideals alone but with raw, street-level fire. Priests, poets, and activists must amplify the voiceless, like that Davao mother, before her pain’s lost in the noise.

The world must act: fund truth commissions, shield whistleblowers, lift local voices. The ICC’s move is a spark, but justice must burn in barrios, not just courtrooms. Ignore this, and the lesson hardens: blood washes clean, power reigns supreme.

Takeaways for a Watching World

Duterte’s Unbreakable Spell: His allies’ post-arrest surge shows loyalty beats justice, fueled by crime fears and anti-ICC defiance.
Marcos-Duterte’s Shattering Bond: Imee’s bolt exposes a crumbling alliance, with Marcos’s team chasing Duterte’s base while dodging his stains.
Fame’s Empty Crown: Revillame and Tulfos echo global populism—celebrity wins votes, but leaves governance hollow.
Opposition’s Dying Gasp: Aquino and Pangilinan’s flop stems from weak messaging and a system tilted toward titans.
A Nation Torn Asunder: Mindanao’s Duterte devotion skews polls; Luzon and Visayas split, letting dynasties rule.

Sources: Pulse Asia survey, March 23-29, 2025; The Philippine Star, April 12, 2025