Early surveys for the 2028 presidential race show that Vice President Sara Duterte continues to lead by wide margins. She isย far ahead of rivals from both administration and opposition blocs.
Her numbers reveal something deeper than name recall: they expose a political environment still shaped by the same currents that powered the previous Duterte era โ anger, nostalgia, and algorithm-driven narratives.
Faced with this reality, some sectors within the democratic and reformist camp are beginning to whisper a dangerous idea: Maybe we need to fight Sara Duterteโs machinery with the same Duterte machinery to defeat her.
But here lies the crossroads: To imitate Duterte-style propaganda in order to beat Duterte politics is to concede defeat before the campaign even begins.
The Sara Duterte phenomenon and the temptation to mimic her playbook
Sara Duterteโs enduring appeal rests on strong political branding, deep emotional resonance with her fatherโs base, and a powerful digital ecosystem that continues to amplify the Duterte narrative.
These factors give her an advantage even years before campaign season, and they put enormous pressure on opposition forces to โmodernizeโ โ a euphemism that often means embracing the same disinformation-driven tactics that have reshaped our politics.
For some strategists, the logic seems simple: If Duterte machinery works, why not build a reformist version of it?
But this is where the moral fault line emerges.
Fighting authoritarian branding with more branding
The Duterte brand did not gain traction through policy depth or democratic discourse. It grew by dominating the narrative battlefield โ through emotional framing, nostalgia for โstrongman order,โ viral spectacle, and coordinated digital engagement.
If the democratic coalition copies this playbook โ launching troll-like squads, pumping out half-truths, manufacturing emotional outrage โ it no longer stands for democratic renewal. It merely competes in the same arena of distortion.
Once you cross the line into manipulation, you can no longer claim the mantle of reform.
The decay of public discourse accelerates
Philippine democracy is already weakened by years of performative politics.
If reformists respond to Sara Duterteโs survey dominance by descending to the same level of propaganda and algorithmic warfare, the damage is doubled.
Truth becomes optional.
Integrity becomes negotiable.
Voters are treated not as citizens, but as targets for psychological manipulation.
This creates a vicious cycle where the loudest โ not the most principled โ prevail.ย And in that cycle, democracy always loses.
What rebuilding looks like, beyond counter-propaganda
If Sara Duterteโs consistently high ratings show anything, itโs that strong political brands can only be challenged by strong public trust โ not by imitation.
The alternative path is harder, but necessary.
The democratic coalition must invest in political education and community-based organizing. It should elevate issue-based mobilization instead of personality wars.
It is not an understatement to say the need for building narratives centered on competence, accountability, and people-centered governance. And engage outside social media echo chambers โ in barangays, unions, churches, youth groups, fisherfolk communities.
The lesson is simple. You do not defeat a powerful brand by becoming a weaker version of it. You defeat it by offering something more credible, more grounded, more hopeful.
The real battle is moral
Sara Duterteโs dominance in early surveys should not pressure democracy advocates to reinvent themselves as mirror images of the forces they criticize.
Winning is important.
But winning by embracing the machinery of disinformation ensures that even victory becomes hollow.
Because the real choice is not Duterte versus anti-Duterte. It is propaganda politics versus principled politics. It is manipulation versus democratic integrity.
These early surveys could push the liberal bloc to coin the strategy of embracing Duterte politics to defeat Duterte politics. Then the battle is already lost โ regardless of who wins in 2028.
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