Ron Jabal

“Kung sino pa ‘yung may matinong nagawa sa bayan, siya pa ang nasa loob.” This sentiment encapsulates how Duterte's followers perceive his legal troubles as a form of martyrdom, cementing his place within Philippine political culture's complex landscape.

“Itama ang Mali” — but whose mali are we correcting, and whose version of tama are we being asked to believe? When symbols of power wear black and speak of suffering, we must ask: are they mourning with us, or mourning the truth?