In the grand theater of Philippine politics, the spotlight often gravitates toward the familiar drama of personalities. For months, the narrative has been deceptively simple: a looming clash between the current Marcos administration and the formidable Duterte faction of the PDP-Laban party. It’s a story of shifting alliances, of a united front cracking under the weight of ambition. But what if this entire narrative is a grand misdirection? What if the primary antagonist isn’t President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) at all?

A startling new analysis suggests the Duterte camp has fundamentally miscalculated its target. Their true opponent is not a man, nor is it Vice President Sara Duterte, who finds herself caught in the political crossfire. The real enemy is something far larger, more impersonal, and infinitely tougher: a “malaking pader,” or a great wall. This wall is not made of stone or steel, but of ink and precedent.

Their greatest enemy, the analysis concludes, is the Law itself.

This is the profound irony facing the once-dominant party. The very Constitution and legal framework they swore to uphold, the system that granted them immense power, has now become their primary obstacle. While President Marcos operates from within the “shadow of the constitution,” the Duterte-aligned wing of PDP-Laban is finding that its “reckless actions” and emotional appeals are crashing against an unmoving, uncompromising barrier.

How did a party that prided itself on wielding the full force of the state now find itself at war with the state’s very foundation? The answer lies not just in their strategy, but in their own internal collapse.

A House Divided Against Itself

Before a political party can fight an external foe, it must first be at peace with itself. The PDP-Laban party is anything but. The video analysis describes the party not as a united force, but as a “sinking boat,” with its leadership frantically arguing over who is captain while the hull takes on water. The division is no longer a whispered secret; it is a public spectacle.

One faction within the party has openly begun to condemn the “reckless” maneuvers of the Duterte camp. This internal schism has paralyzed them, rendering any unified strategy impossible. This disunity is the first “real enemy” they failed to recognize. The party is crumbling from within, and its political opponents need only to stand back and watch.

This internal rot is best exemplified by the increasingly bitter and personal feuds erupting between key figures. The analysis highlights a particularly venomous exchange, reportedly involving Senator Bong Go. Allegations have been surfaced, with Senator Go purportedly accusing his critics of being funded by “anomalous flood control projects.” This is a serious accusation of corruption, aimed at discrediting those filing cases against the Duterte administration’s remnants.

The rebuttal was immediate and equally devastating. The accuser, brushing off the claim as a mere “diversion,” challenged the senator to name names publicly so he could be met with a lawsuit. Then came the counter-offensive: a stunning allegation that 200 government contracts were awarded to the father and sibling of Senator Go during the time he served as Executive Assistant to then-Mayor Duterte and, later, as Special Assistant to the President.

This, the accuser claims, is a “maliwanag na maliwanag na violation” (a very clear violation). This isn’t just political disagreement. It is a legal war, with both sides threatening to use the law to destroy the other. While they are busy fighting each other and filing cases in both Philippine courts and at the International Criminal Court (ICC), their collective power evaporates.

The People Aren’t Coming

This internal collapse has led to a series of strategic blunders, the most glaring of which is the recent call for a “people power” rally at the EDSA Shrine. The move was intended to be a show of force, a flexing of their continued public support. The video analysis pointedly asks: what was the true objective? Was it to defend the Vice President? Was it a genuine uprising against PBBM? Or was it, perhaps, just “simpleng ingay” (simple noise) to create the illusion of relevance?

The answer, it seems, came in the form of a deafening silence. The masses did not show up.

The organizers of this rally fundamentally misunderstood the national mood. The concept of “people power” is sacred, rooted in the genuine, unprompted damdamin ng masa (sentiment of the masses). It cannot be manufactured for “personal na interes” (personal interest). The analysis delivers a blunt verdict: “Ang mga Pilipino ay pagod na sa pulitika ng kaguluhan” (The Filipino people are tired of the politics of chaos).

The public, it argues, saw the rally for what it was: a “self-serving na hakbang” (self-serving move) by a political faction desperate to cling to power, not a genuine movement for the betterment of the nation. This public rejection is a devastating blow. It signals that the emotional wellspring from which this political camp has historically drawn its strength may finally be running dry. The people, it seems, have moved on.

The Strategic Vacuum

This leaves the faction in a perilous position. With their internal structure collapsing and their public support waning, they are left with only one play: “manipis na hibla ng emosyonal na panawagan” (a thin thread of emotional appeals). But emotional appeals are useless when your opponent is not a person, but “Ang Batas” (The Law).

This is the second “real enemy” they face: a complete lack of a concrete plan. The video astutely notes their “desperasyon ay nagbubunga ng kawalang direksyon” (desperation is resulting in a lack of direction). They are trapped. Their every move is scrutinized under the harsh light of the constitution. The actions and rhetoric that once allowed them to bypass political norms are now the very things bringing legal and constitutional challenges down upon them.

They have no clear strategy on how to “babanggain ang pader na ito” (how to crash against this wall). They are, in effect, bringing symbolic knives to a gunfight with the constitution. While President Marcos remains cloaked in the legitimacy of the constitution, the Duterte camp appears to be operating outside of it, making them an easy target for the very system they once mastered.

The final, chilling conclusion of the analysis is that the winner of this conflict will not be PBBM. If the Duterte-aligned PDP-Laban continues to force a “people power” rally “na walang puso at batayan” (without heart or basis), the ultimate victor will be the “sistemang kanilang binabatikos” (the very system they are criticizing).

The video ends its analysis by invoking a timeless, almost prophetic warning from Matthew 12:25: “Ang bawat kaharian na nagkakabahabahagi laban sa kanyang sarili ay mawawasak” (Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined).

This is the story of PDP-Laban’s current struggle. They misidentified their enemy. They focused on a political personality, failing to see that their true opponents were the “wall” of the law and the “house divided” they themselves created. Their challenge now is not to defeat Marcos, but to find a way to reunite a fractured party and, more importantly, to listen once again to the “boses ng bayan at ng batas” (the voice of the people and the law).

If they cannot, their own “itinayong sistema” (the system they built) may be the very thing that buries them.