Thread by @mlq3

Who is really running the show, a thread. The question is has anything really changed in the way things are run?

Is the on-again, off-again visibility of the Chief Executive not only not new but a sign of anything actually being any different from how it’s been since Day One of the current era? Or is it simply that the pandemic has blunted the force of loyalist cheering and intimidation?

A better framework might be to examine what things the President has never allowed others to decide, or modify. And those things are few but significant. The so-called War on Drugs; the punishment of media and businesses that don’t bend the knee; China-centric approach.

The flip side of this is the very clear ultimate fear of The Great Eagle Father: not to end up like Marcos or Estrada, ousted and disgraced; to this end, the alternating coddling of sectors (the military, middle class) and intimidation (clergy, media) that in past could oust.

Outside of these things presidential interest has been slight and his willingness to delegate almost total: which is not to say he is not running things but rather he has lent his authority and prestige to those he trusts to run things he isn’t interested in or understands.

This is not new by all accounts it is how his mayoralty was conducted for decades: the real levers of power: police power, power of appointment, and granting of bonuses and rewards are exclusively and jealously his, channeled through principal lieutenants.

For any executive access is influence. Most executives instinctively do checks and balances so for a long time there were two main avenues: Evasco and Go. Each had different perspectives about politics and power; Evasco was more ideological, Go more practical. Both came to...

head major factions in the current regime as every regime always has factions. Evasco had great ambitions to build a lasting Personality Cult presiding over a massive mass movement and a reorganized bureaucracy purged of independent thinking. Go represented business as usual.

In the end Evasco lost, left, and came back for nostalgic decoration; Go proved more aligned with his Boss’ thinking: conventional, conservative, thus, comforting, useful and able. In the meantime the idea the Boss was a master tactician etc. was fostered by shock and awe....

Here’s the thing to bear in mind: the usefulness and power of Go are maintained by his ensuring he doesn’t stray beyond the Boss’ comfort level: That means being perceived as completely loyal and not exceeding authority. This dynamic assures everyone that what Go says is OK.

I think all Filipinos understand how this dynamic works instinctively: a patriarch in semi-seclusion and a handler whether a sacristan in the convento or a favored child or “malakas” na alalay; we know how its done.

So there you have it. The energy focus and interest has always been limited to the things that keeps everyone on their toes and obedient; in its way it is efficient, works, and has surprising longevity —until it stops working.