In the Philippines, Christmas starts on September 1st and ends on December 31st. That's on the official calendar, because in many regions they extend the celebration even further until Three Kings' Day. In this vast archipelago with over 7,000 islands, they are proud to have the longest Christmas season in the world, although it's never been clear why local carols start playing on loop in Manila's shopping centers right after summer ends with temperatures over 30 degrees.
By a large margin, the Philippines, after centuries of Spanish colonization and more recent decades of American dominance, is the most Christmassy country in Asia. Much of this is due to hosting the largest Christian community on the continent, with over 80% of its population. Family celebrations are lavish, and churches are full. In Davao, the second most populous city, the Simbang Gabi, midnight masses held during the nine days leading up to December 25th are very popular, with the entire Duterte political clan participating.
Rodrigo, the patriarch, who a couple of years ago paraded around Davao dressed as Santa Claus, is the former president under investigation by the International Criminal Court for ordering extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs. Sara, the daughter, current vice president, has been accused of leading a "death squad" composed of retired police officers. Sebastian, the son, who is now the mayor of Davao, before entering politics was famous for being a muscular surfer with his own reality show.
This Christmas, Filipinos are engrossed in the particular soap opera starring Sara Duterte (46 years old) and President Marcos, heir to another famous political dynasty: that of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who looted the state coffers and fled the country by helicopter. In 2022, the alliance between the two families swept the elections. Now, Marcos and Sara won't be sharing turron during the holidays.
The tension between the president and his vice president has crossed several boundaries that seriously threaten the stability of a country with a fragile democracy and a population that tends to idolize leaders with authoritarian tendencies. Sara Duterte, after publicly stating that she dreamed of cutting off Marcos' head, threatened a month ago to assassinate the president. She specifically stated that if one day she were found dead, she had hired a hitman to kill President Marcos and his wife. "It's not a joke. It's not a joke," she wrote on her Facebook page.
Marcos filed a complaint against his vice president for death threats that the leader has taken very seriously, especially after recent insinuations by former President Rodrigo Duterte, who suggested that the military could forcibly overthrow the government. Sara, in addition to the feud with the Filipino leader, faces two impeachmentproceedings filed in Congress for various corruption cases. That's the Christmas scene in Filipino politics.