Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte has launched a scathing critique against the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., accusing it of permitting foreign interference in Philippine affairs and allowing the nation to regress to an era of extreme wealth inequality.
Wealth Gap and Systemic Inequality
In a strongly worded statement released on November 29, 2025, Duterte claimed the country has returned to a period where a stark divide exists between the elite and ordinary citizens. "The country itself has also drifted back to where it once was: maintaining a stark wealth gap in which the elites and the petite bourgeoisie defend the existing order, while the masses are treated less as citizens than as livestock to be managed and harvested for their benefit," Duterte stated.
The acting mayor argued that the current system fails to protect citizens and deter crime effectively. Instead, he described it as an arrangement where laws, economic policies, and foreign partnerships primarily serve to preserve the comfort of the wealthy while continuing to exploit the lower classes.
Foreign Interference and International Institutions
Duterte specifically highlighted what he perceives as excessive American influence in shaping Philippine foreign policy. He accused the United States of weaponizing international institutions like the International Criminal Court (ICC) to suppress resistance against neocolonial dynamics while advancing their own strategic interests.
"What is striking is the apparent indifference of many of the very institutions and individuals who are supposed to defend the Constitution and protect the public interest; their lack of visible urgency raises the question of whom the system is really designed to serve," he emphasized.
The mayor also criticized the formation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) by the president, suggesting it reinforces the impression that foreigners see themselves as saviors and promotes an "imperial posture" as the template for the Philippines.
Drug Policy and Historical Context
Duterte pointed to recent developments where foreign diplomats from the United States and other Western countries welcomed the release of high-profile figures linked to the drug crisis, describing this as a significant turning point. He lamented that the Philippines' environment has shifted back to a time when illegal drugs were pervasive and powerful individuals operated with minimal accountability.
The acting mayor also defended his father, former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who he said is now being treated as a villain rather than recognized for addressing the country's drug problem. He questioned when being "at war with drugs" became framed as detrimental to society while drug trade beneficiaries are being "normalized."
Duterte's comments mark one of the most direct criticisms from a Duterte family member against the current administration and highlight growing political tensions within the country's leadership.
