'History has a long memory. It remembers rivalries. But it honors results' WHEN President Bongbong Marcos went to Naga City to meet with former Vice
WHEN President Bongbong Marcos went to Naga City to meet with former Vice President now Mayor Leni Robredo, the moment carried both symbolism and strategy. Accompanied by his workaholic and results-driven Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, President Marcos met with Mayor Robredo to inspect flood control projects and the renovation of the Jesse Robredo Coliseum which normally serves as an evacuation center during calamities.
Naga is Robredo country. It is where her brand of grassroots governance took root. For Marcos to step into that political territory — not as adversary but as partner in dialogue — speaks to a larger recalibration in Philippine politics. This comes at a time when Vice President Sara Duterte has announced her intention to run for president in 2028. The chessboard is being set early. Political lines are quietly drawn. Numbers are being studied. In the two most recent national contests, Marcos and Robredo mobilized millions of voters across different regions, sectors, and narratives. Combined, those constituencies represent a formidable electoral force. A strategic alliance in 2028 — whether formal or tacit — could consolidate not just votes but stability.President Marcos governs under a historic shadow — that of his father, Ferdinand Marcos, whose rule ended during the 1986 People Power Revolution. For the son, legacy is not abstract. It is existential. Redemption, if history is to grant it, must be anchored in performance, not nostalgia. In this evolving narrative, I am reminded of the words of the late President Fidel V. Ramos who often spoke of unity not as convenience, but as necessity. FVR would say: “We must move forward together — not as factions, not as regions, but as one Filipino nation.” He consistently emphasized that governance was “teamwork at the highest level,” adding in one of his addresses: “No leader succeeds alone. Nation-building is a shared responsibility — government and private sector, military and civilian, urban and rural.” In another oft-quoted line, Ramos reminded us: “Unity is not the absence of differences. It is the decision to work together despite them.”The Philippines faces headwinds — economic pressures, climate risks, infrastructure demands, food security concerns, and geopolitical tensions. None of these yield to partisan gridlock. They demand alignment of purpose. A Marcos–Robredo engagement, therefore, need not be reduced to political speculation. It can be viewed as a statesmanlike recognition that governance must continue even amid future electoral ambitions. “Public service before politics” declared BBM when asked whether his visit has something to do with VP Sara’s announcement to run for president in 2028. BBM’s statement was also very much the Ramos doctrine. During his presidency, he built coalitions that crossed ideological lines, believing that stability attracts investment, and unity accelerates reform. His rallying cry of “Philippines 2000” was less about a slogan and more about synchronized effort — Cabinet, Congress, local governments, civil society.If the votes garnered by Marcos and Robredo across two intense electoral cycles were ever aligned toward a common reform agenda, it would represent a broad cross-section of the electorate — north and south, reformist and traditional, progressive and conservative.FVR once declared: “Leadership is about bringing people together to achieve what none of us can accomplish alone.”President Marcos Jr. has spoken of wanting to leave behind a positive legacy — one defined by growth, modernization, and institutional strength. If redemption is part of that journey, it will not be achieved through division, but through delivery. Through tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Filipinos. Robredo, for her part, has always framed her politics around community empowerment and participatory governance. There is space — perhaps even opportunity — where these narratives intersect. Unity does not erase competition. Solidarity does not eliminate ambition. Democracy thrives on choice. But nation-building demands cooperation.History has a long memory. It remembers rivalries. But it honors results. If leaders who once faced each other across campaign stages can now sit across a table in service of the Republic, then perhaps we are witnessing not merely political maneuvering, but political maturity. And that, in itself, would be a legacy worth claiming. That is also a great footnote in my previous column that there is a silver lining for the Philippines if only leaders come together for greater good of our country and the Filipino people.
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