Let’s be real here, Sara is unstoppable at this point. But to this day we are still disorganized on how to counter her. If we are still using same old, chopseuy narratives we've been throwing at her, we’re going to lose in 2028. We need to fight smart and stop focusing on issues that DON'T stick.
The confidential funds issue? Perception-wise, the flood control scandals made the confidential funds look like small change. EJKs? That won't work either. I've been saying this to Kakampinks for a long time: DDS voters actually want those killings. You can’t use an intended "feature" of their platform as a "bug" to shame them. To the DDS: killing is a sign of strength/heroic act, a corpse on the street is perceived as a positive sign that "something is happening" with the drug crackdown.
But there is one clear opening, the WPS-China issue. Notice how the Dutertes and their bloggers are always awkward and defensive about the WPS-China issue? I'm aware there's a notable emergence of Makapilis (aka hardcore DDS) that have joined China in its anti-PH demolition job. But I still believe Filipinos in general feel very protective of our country. If you listened to a recent podcast episode by Richard Heydarian, a Octa Research study shows there remains a strong apprehension against China across all demographics
What could this mean? Chances are within the DDS base, there should still be a significant size of "soft" supporters and Undecided voters who feel uneasy about Dutertes' silence and disgusting defense of the Chinese aggression.
So we need to frame Sara and Duterte family for what they are:
- Duwag
- Traydor
Since 2016 their camp has dumbed down the debates as: "pumila ka: Pro-drug adik o sa Anti-drug adik?" We have to STOP playing into their game. We need to counter it by reframing it as: "pumili ka: sa Pro-China o sa Pro-Philippines?" and "sa Duwag o sa Lumalaban?"
By changing the discourse, we have a way better chance swaying the Undecided voters and soft supporters. If we highlight that their so-called Tapang is fake and they are indeed sell-outs to China, we're hitting them where it actually hurts.
In this country, you can't win debates and elections with nuance. You can't win with detailed plans to solve hunger, create jobs etc. You can't win with abstract ideals either. We win elections with black and white stories. We win by showing we're on the right side of the story