Lame duck?

SKETCHES

- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN

The president of the Philippines holds immense power, wielding even the ultimate power of the purse (with the executive being the fund disbursing authority), which often renders the House of Representatives a rubberstamp of Malacañang.

Even with the administration's weak showing in the just concluded elections — a debacle, if you consider the administration sweeps in previous midterm polls — President Marcos can still inflict grievous wounds on his enemies.

He may be seen as a lame duck in terms of endorsing power for 2028. But his powers are not diminished until his final day in office. We saw this especially during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

These include the president's power to appoint (and disappoint), and to approve policies that allow him to influence the mobilization of huge amounts of private money to suit his purposes.

The battle lines were drawn during the midterm elections; Bongbong Marcos now has a clearer idea of who his enemies are, and who are potentially the biggest threats to his family.

Marcos advises people to never say never. It's doubtful though that he will ever be forgiven by the Dutertes and their diehard supporters, the DDS, for putting the clan patriarch in prison in the Netherlands.

BBM may also be reviewing his ties with some of his appointees from the UniTeam days. Among them is his wife's schoolmate, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, who recused the entire OSG from defending the arrest and turnover of Rodrigo Duterte to the Interpol and hence to the International Criminal Court.