You have two wolves inside you: one is Lorenzo and the other is Leandro. The 2022 election season is arguably one of the, if not the most divisive elections held in Philippine history yet. What with solid moral compasses guiding each voter, passionate debates during dinners, dates, or in mere conversations have cruelly broken out and perhaps have even surfaced more lasting consequences for relationships across the board.
Most famously in the country today, Lorenzo Legarda Leviste stepped forward with an open letter published by Rappler to tell the nation that he has disowned his mother, Loren Legarda, for running as senator under the controversial and infamous Marcos-Duterte slate. Just four days before the national elections, Lorenzo outright condemned his mother for being an “example of how fascism takes hold, is made acceptable, normalized, facilitated, ushered in”.
It’s no secret that politics can be the most polarizing topic to bring to the table… but this open letter from a hurting son shows us how easily a political stance can destabilize not only the country in its entirety but in families as well. Lorenzo is adamant to point out that Loren Legarda, one of the country’s current top senatorial bets in the races, has lost one of her sons forever.
And while Lorenzo brazenly points out that his mother has become a hypocrite from being a journalist during the time of Martial law under the Marcos Sr. regime, Loren’s youngest child, Leandro has come out with his own letter on Mother’s Day. Where Lorenzo cries hypocrisy, Leandro only notes that his mother was once an award-winning journalist.
Given the brothers’ contrasting backgrounds as per internet stalking, their evaluation of their mom as a public servant is reflective of the kind of upbringing they had in the same household. Lorenzo shares that he has not lived in the Philippines since he was 18 and hasn’t stepped foot in the country nor seen his mother for the last five years.
In stark contrast, Leandro has served as CEO of Solar Para Sa Bayan (SPSB) Corporation in recent years. Many critics highlight that his company got a 25-year franchise after breezing through the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2019, hinting toward a play by his powerful mother in politics.
In light of this, Lorenzo recognizes that this detachment from the nation is an immense privilege he is afforded because of the family he was born into. He writes that he was “conditioned by the immense trauma of having grown up in a country that [he] always recognized was sick, infected with the historical amnesia and denial that have led to this moment.”
Meanwhile, Leandro continuously denies claims of nepotism when it comes to his company’s franchise grant. Power producers, solar players, and rural electric cooperatives argue that he is undeserving of the grant, on top of the decision being counterproductive to Duterte’s promise of leveling the playing field in the renewable energy sector.
At the end of it all, both brothers have received their fair share of backlash from political critics and support from those who relate to their plights. The critical light on their family has only sparked further as the election season now draws to a close with their mother having the second highest number of votes in the senatorial races.
Some call Lorenzo an ingrate, while others criticize Leandro for turning a blind eye. Many are cheering for reconciliation after the elections, while others are determined that the past few months have affected their relationships significantly. Wherever you lie on the spectrum, the truth remains as a spectacle hard to watch but a reality we all now face.
The truth of the elections is this: it is not just one day. It is not just a singular ballot we line up for on the 9th of May. It is a choice that ripples through the next six years of life in the Philippines. Whether or not you could stomach sitting across a person who voted for a fascist is a personal choice, much unlike the political choice we draw on election day.
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