Political Scapegoating and Public Discourse: Vice President Sara Duterte’s Rebuttal Amid Philippine Media Narratives
Political Scapegoating and Public Discourse: Vice President Sara Duterte’s Rebuttal Amid Philippine Media Narratives
Introduction
Political scapegoating—the strategic diversion of blame onto convenient targets—has long shaped power dynamics in the Philippines. When administrations falter, the reflex to cast aspersions on political adversaries often eclipses substantive policy debates. On June 27, 2025, Vice President Sara Duterte leveled a direct critique against her own administration, labeling its attacks on her as “political scapegoating” designed to conceal deeper governance failures. This essay unpacks the theory of scapegoating in political contexts, examines Duterte’s statement and its aftermath, and interprets four recent social media images that collectively reflect and challenge this deflection strategy.
Theoretical Foundations of Political Scapegoating
At its core, political scapegoating channels public anger and disappointment toward individuals or groups, thereby preserving institutional legitimacy. Historically, dominant parties or leaders facing scandals have targeted opposition figures, civil society actors, or even internal dissenters to distract from policy stagnation or corruption. In the Philippine context—where patronage networks and personalized politics are entrenched—scapegoating operates through emotional appeals (“they’re sabotaging our nation”) rather than evidence-based critique. This tactic undermines democratic accountability by replacing structural reform with symbolic attacks, and it corrodes civic trust by fostering a climate of suspicion and division.
Vice President Duterte’s Accusation
In her address at Davao City’s Rizal Park on June 27, 2025, Sara Duterte accused the Marcos administration of weaponizing public discourse against her to mask its own inertia. She argued that “when nothing is happening in your administration and the principal—the president—is inactive, the response is to point fingers,” reframing criticism of her political ambitions as a deliberate diversion. By casting herself not as an aggressor but as a victim of manufactured controversy, Duterte disrupted the usual center–periphery narrative and forced a discussion about the administration’s substantive performance rather than her personal standing.
Legislative Retaliation as a Manifestation
Barely a week after her public statement, the House of Representatives proposed slashing the Office of the Vice President’s 2026 budget from ₱889 million back down to ₱733.2 million. Officially, this cut was justified by Duterte’s refusal to appear before a plenary session to justify funding requests; unofficially, it resembled punitive retribution for her outspoken critique. Representative Leila de Lima characterized Duterte’s absence as an “insult to accountability,” but many observers read the maneuver as institutional scapegoating—leveraging budgetary power not to secure oversight, but to punish dissent. This episode illustrates how procedural tools can be co-opted for political retribution.
Public Backlash to Scapegoating
Instead of cowing critics, the budgetary squeeze galvanized Duterte’s political base and broader civil society. Opinion polling in early October 2025 indicated a surge in Duterte’s approval ratings, suggesting that visible displays of punitive governance risk backfiring when framed as unfair targeting. Citizens accustomed to blame games grew weary of top-down intimidation, and many interpreted the budget cut as evidence that the administration felt threatened by an ascending political figure. This dynamic underscores a paradox: attempts at scapegoating can inadvertently fuel the very movements they aim to suppress.
Image Analysis I: “The Crocodile’s Cave”
A Threads screenshot shows a copy of BizNews Asia with the cover headline “THE PHILIPPINES’ BIGGEST CRIMINAL SYNDICATE,” overlaid by a Filipino caption: “Bibili sana ako—nawala ‘yung gana nang makita ko ang kweba ng buwaya! Nakakahiya!!” The term “buwaya” (crocodile) is a loaded metaphor for parasitic politicians. By combining sensationalist media with grassroots ridicule, this image both acknowledges systemic corruption and satirizes attempts to distract from it. Its impact lies in shifting focus from personal dramas to the broader “crocodile’s cave” of entrenched oligarchies that scapegoating tactics often conceal.
Image Analysis II: Satire of Misdirection (“Congressmeow”)
Another viral post from Ang Balita Ngayon FB features a punny headline—“CONGRESSMEOW NAUTAKAN SI JONVIC?”—mocking Congressman Barzaga’s false lead that lured Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and thousands of police officers to Rajah Sulayman Park. The term “meow-sdirection” lampoons deliberate misdirection strategies, equating them to political sleight of hand. This satirical framing resonates with Duterte’s critique: when governance offers no real solutions, misdirection becomes the chief tactic. The humor sharpens public awareness, exposing how political players manufacture distractions to cover policy voids.
Image Analysis III: Heroic Branding in “SARA RISING”
A Facebook post titled “SARA RISING” shows Duterte ascendent behind a presidential seal, accompanied by praise of her lineage, dedication, and efficacy. Its high engagement—1.9 K likes, 153 shares—reveals the potency of heroic branding as antidote to scapegoating. By constructing Duterte as both competent and patriotic, supporters inoculate her against defamation campaigns. Yet this dynamic also highlights reciprocal blame: just as the administration labels her a destabilizer, her base lionizes her as a reformer. Branding thus becomes a battleground where competing narratives vie for moral authority.
Image Analysis IV: Viral Call to Action
A stark black-and-white social media graphic stating, “Whatever’s unfolding in Manila starting today—I think it’s worth standing behind. I’m booking my ticket now,” went viral with over 3.7 K likes. Its anonymity and ambiguity fuel collective imagination, suggesting imminent civic mobilization—perhaps protests demanding accountability. This grassroots energy demonstrates how scapegoating attempts can ignite solidarity rather than fear. By mobilizing without clear figureheads, citizens reclaim agency and underscore that political blame-shifting cannot indefinitely stifle genuine calls for reform.
Intersection of Scapegoating and Digital Media
The four images illustrate a broader pattern: digital platforms amplify both scapegoating tactics and their counter-narratives. Memes, satirical news posts, and viral calls to action all cut through official messaging, enabling citizens to reinterpret or outright reject diversionary frames. This interplay reveals that while political elites may control formal channels, social media fosters decentralized resistance. Echo chambers notwithstanding, networks of critique can coalesce around shared frustration with blame games, demanding substantive policy engagement.
Implications for Governance and Accountability
Scapegoating offers short-term gains but carries long-term costs. When institutions resort to defamation and budgetary reprisals, they erode public trust and invite backlash. The Duterte administration’s tactics—whether labeling her ambitions as destabilizing or punishing her office financially—exposed an anxiety over dissent rather than a commitment to policy solutions. In transitional justice and democratic consolidation, such maneuvers obstruct genuine accountability. They perpetuate a cycle of blame that sidelines meaningful discourse on corruption, infrastructure, and social welfare.
Toward Substantive Political Dialogue
Breaking free from scapegoating requires both institutional reform and civic vigilance. Legislators must prioritize transparent deliberation over punitive theatrics, ensuring that budgetary oversight is applied consistently rather than as a tool of retribution. Civil society and media platforms should sustain critical coverage of policy performance—flood mitigation, pandemic preparedness, income inequality—regardless of partisan allegiances. Educational initiatives can foster media literacy, equipping citizens to discern between genuine critique and manufactured controversy.
Conclusion
Vice President Sara Duterte’s charge of “political scapegoating” laid bare a familiar yet corrosive strategy in Philippine politics: deflecting governance failures by attacking convenient targets. The four social media images analyzed here—ranging from grassroots exposés of corruption to satirical misdirection and mobilizing calls—demonstrate how digital networks both perpetuate and resist such tactics. Ultimately, a healthy democracy depends on shifting discussions from personal vilification to policy substance. Only when public discourse transcends blame games can the Philippines address its systemic challenges and strengthen institutional accountability.
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References
1. Maya Padillo, “What the administration is doing is political scapegoating: VP Sara,” Edge Davao, June 29, 2025.
2. Rojean Grace G. Patumbon, “VP Sara Duterte Alleges ‘Political Scapegoating,’” SunStar, June 29, 2025.
Amiel Roldan’s curatorial writing practice exemplifies this path: transforming grief into infrastructure, evidence into agency, and memory into resistance. As the Philippines enters a new economic decade, such work is not peripheral—it is foundational.
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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan: a multidisciplinary Filipino artist, poet, researcher, and cultural worker whose practice spans painting, printmaking, photography, installation, academic writing, and trauma-informed mythmaking. He is deeply rooted in cultural memory, postcolonial critique, and speculative cosmology, and in bridging creative practice with scholarly infrastructure—building counter-archives, annotating speculative poetry like Southeast Asian manuscripts, and fostering regional solidarity through ethical collaboration.
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