Written by Rhaña Santos and Ryan Tamayo
Two women are at the forefront of the upcoming 2022 elections. Leni Robredo, presidential hopeful, and Sara Duterte, vice-president aspirant, currently dominate the electoral discourse. Still, their differences are vast. One carries the hope of opposition and reversal to Duterte’s 6-year paternalistic rule through a more marginalized-friendly version of the Build, Build, Build program and an anti-drug campaign more focused on prevention and rehabilitation. The other vows to continue the legacy of her father, namely the infrastructure goals her father introduced and a stronger law enforcement that is again reminiscent of the incumbent president.
Leni Robredo
Coming from her very unpleasant history with President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Leni Robredo frequently presents herself as the presidential aspirant who will learn from the negative consequences of President Duterte’s past projects and modify them to respond to the people's demands. Alongside her running mate and vice-presidential aspirant Kiko Pangilinan, she strives to lend genuine support towards the masses and emphasizes the efforts that the Filipino masses have made to help their fellow Filipinos.
Some examples which showcase her ability as a vice president to help her fellowmen include providing the necessary assistance to frontliners and communities in need during the pandemic and rehabilitating communities that have been severely affected by typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses. Currently, her platforms encompass a swift pandemic response, an anti-drug campaign more centered on prevention and rehabilitation, the abolishment of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a safe reopening of face-to-face classes, a job generation program, and a quick distribution of 216 billion pesos worth of aid across the nation. It is also noteworthy that Leni is currently "'against' divorce, capital punishment, and abortion."
For Leni, her leadership style entails being "firm yet compassionate" through diplomacy and peace talks amid the pandemic, a callback to her prior work as a lawyer. Veering away from a purely militaristic approach, she, as a vice president and an economist, had demonstrated efficiency in many aspects such as handling anti-poverty and housing initiatives, unifying government efforts in the battle against illegal drugs, offering disaster relief assistance to affected communities, and conducting pandemic relief drives.
She believed that in leading the country, one must not employ brashness and aggression which might silence those who wish to contribute to the country's welfare. Rather, she emphasized that a great leader must calmly and rationally make the best decisions amid crises and empower others to be the best of themselves.
Sara Duterte
Sara Duterte is building her reputation and electoral charm as the continuation of the legacy of her father, President Duterte. Running for vice-presidency along with her running mate Bongbong Marcos, her family’s supporters have found fervor and passion in her campaigns. Sara hails from the south, bringing in the Duterte vote, while Marcos relies on his family’s history in the North. Underneath their well-oiled story of unification between north and south, they are also consolidating the forces and machinery of two prominent political dynasties.
Sara’s brand of leadership doesn’t include an emphasis on women’s issues. Defending her father in 2018, Sara stated that he doesn’t harbor hate for women and only hates weakness in character, not gender. Duterte has been caught under fire for multiple sexist statements and even outright harassment during his 6 years in the presidency, not to mention misogynist narrations of his past mayorship. In January, he referenced that women are not fit for the presidency because of the emotional requirement it takes.
Women presidents and prime ministers across the world have been praised for their efficient pandemic response at flattening the curve. This case, among a long list of other examples, is proof that gender is no barrier to leadership. Men often are at the forefront of disabling the equality of political opportunities for women.
Sara recently pronounced that she was a champion of LGBT rights, seeing that she herself was part of the community. She distinguished her gender identity and sexual expression, stating that sometimes she wants to be a man and other times, a woman. LGBT Pilipinas, an alliance registered in the Securities and Exchange Commission, has expressed its support for the candidate. However, progressive LGBTQ+ groups like Bahaghari openly expressed that the Dutertes are not their allies and rejected LGBT Pilipinas’s encompassing pronouncement for LGBT organizations alike. Bahaghari said that Sara is far from advocating their community’s genuine welfare, recalling how her father pardoned Joseph Pemberton Scott, a transmysognist murderer.
Neither Bongbong nor Sara has explicitly made a stand on gender issues, especially on SOGIE Equality and marriage equality. Sara before the electoral campaigns previously stated support for a SOGIE Equality Bill, but added that “sexual reassigment” would be necessary before transgender women can use women’s comfort rooms. She argued that men could pretend to be women and this could ensure their safety inside comfort rooms.
The Dutertes’ stances on issues tell a particularly brash and harsh story to their promised changes. It’s a different narrative to distinguish whether the daughter truly is a mirror of her father, yet it cannot be denied that the two share similarities, most especially on their stances. Sara also touts that mandatory ROTC will be implemented if she were to win the seat of vice president, a platform that her father has long pushed for.
Women Leadership is not a Monolith
Despite the fact that President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo have many “irreconcilable differences,” addressing the many demands of the Filipino people has earned Leni a place in the hearts of her countrymen. With her “firm yet compassionate” style of leadership, she seems to be paving the way toward a rosy future for the nation.
Sara may be arguably outlining her path and making her own decisions, yet she still bears the discriminating actions of her father and continues to perpetuate these on her own. Rodrigo Duterte was traditional — he was boosted by machismo and enabled patriarchal values. Sara Duterte also bears hypermasculine traits through her violent proclivities — once punching a sheriff because of a demolition — and her single-minded loyalty to her father’s legacy. There have been no genuine triumphs for women and queer rights under her leadership.
Women leadership is not a monolith. They are not simply mothers who intend to care for an entire population nor forgettable names and faces because of their gender. They bear their own quirks, strategies, and advocacies. Leni and Sara are among the most famous candidates during the 2022 elections, and while they are both women, this may be where the similarities end. They have questionable stances on women’s issues — Leni is notably against abortion and divorce while Sara condones her father’s misogynist ways.
With the RoSa Tandem gaining noise and endorsements, particularly from the southern regions, their seeming incompatibility may be something to rethink. However, Leni has always been inclusive and open in the conversation of a possibly different vice president should she win as president. She knows the value of compromise in the consolidation of voters, while Kiko similarly agrees that sometimes, he “must decrease” for Leni “to increase”.
How about Sara? Can Sara work with Leni?
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