The tales of three women: Sara, Imee and Camille

The wily and canny way by which vice president Sara succeeded in "snatching" two super billionaire candidates, senator and presidential elder sister Imee Marcos and the Villars' unica hija, Camille, from president BBM's Alyansa is an unexpected "coup de grace" executed with utmost finesse by the astute daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Such an ingenious blitzkrieg attack from the cunning eagle of Davao against the lion of Ilocos was a feat that can be deemed one for the records. From the perspectives of Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Machiavelli's scheming tactics of "divide, conquer and rule" what Inday Sara has achieved was a clear win for the vice president. To me, in the ongoing skirmishes between the forces of the palace and the guerilla warfare of VP Sara, I would say, that was a round that we should give to the Duterte camp. The vice president is emerging as the better warrior compared to BBM.

Snatching Imee Marcos from the administration's Alyansa was a major victory for the vice president. It was a case of hitting three birds with one stone. First, the Duterte camp has gained an ally from the Palace, not just a party mate, but an elder sister of her current mortal enemy. Second, the departure of Imee from the Alyansa is weakening the administration party and adding strength to the Duterte team. Third, the vice president has gained a spy who knows the ins and outs of the Palace and is privy to the sanctum sanctorum of the Marcos kingdom.

Many people do believe that Imee is the more prepared Marcos if leadership is the issue. The former First Lady has gone out appealing to the Marcos loyalists to support Imee. I do not recall the first lady making that same pitch for BBM himself in the last presidential campaign. On a wheelchair, the First Lady, in her nineties, was all praises for her eldest child, something she never did for BBM. Imee's son is the governor of Ilocos Norte and if there is going to be a collision between Imee and BBM in Ilocos, Imee has more strength among the grassroots.

Imee really was the favorite child of Madam Imelda because, from the very start, she was seen as more astute politically than her younger brother. BBM was a usually spoiled son of a rich and powerful father and a regal mother. He was given all sorts of silver and even golden spoons on his mouth, sent to all the most expensive institutions in London and in the US. But both Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos saw in Imee the makings of a politician extraordinaire. She studied law in UP and could speak extemporaneously like her dad and mom.

FM, in fact, mentored Imee by making her the first national head of Kabataang Barangay. Imee has the natural gift of glib tongue. She can humor and amuse all kinds of audience. She can sing and dance, and play to the emotions of the crowd. BBM does not have her flair and flavor. He does not have Imee's grit and glitch. BBM was just enjoying his youth in Europe and in America by indulging in all the luxuries and pleasures that all children of the rich and the famous are prone to savor and enjoy. That is why, Inday Sara won a major victory by gaining Imee to her side.

In the case of Camille Villar, vice president Sara also caught a big fish. The Villars are the richest political dynasty in the Philippines today. The Villars are wealthier than both the Marcoses and the Dutertes. That is, of course, if we base our comparison on the declared and submitted SALN's only. By gaining Camille to her side, Inday Sara has achieved a tremendous advantage of logistics and machineries. The Villars have huge budgets. In fact, Camille appears to be the one who spent the biggest in the current campaign, followed far behind by Imee.

The question that we should ask is this: If Sara did gain two major victories by winning over two super billionaires to her side, are Imee and Camille benefiting from such a sharp political realignment? I do believe that Camille is gaining a lot but Imee is not. Camille will get a big chunk of solid votes from Mindanao and the Visayas. Imee may not get as much. Many Duterte loyalists are wary about the double-dealing made by Imee. The rabid Marcos loyalists are more rabid partisans for BBM because the president carries the name of FM himself.

Camille's draconian decision to be endorsed by the vice president was consistent with her refusal to sign the impeachment resolution concocted by Martin's House. That is why the Duterte loyalists love Camille but are suspicious of Imee. Many Visayan-speaking voters are doubting the trustworthiness of Imee. She is very much aware that she is not doing well in the surveys. That was why she had to plead before her mom to do a sales pitch for her. That is why while Camille has no baggage to carry, Imee has that heavy burden of explaining why she "betrays' her own "adeng," the president.

If you cannot be loyal to your own brother, how can you be loyal to your supporters? That is why in this latest political gambit by the three billionaire ladies, the winners are Sara and Camille. I cannot say that in the case of Imee. She is playing with fire and she can be burned on both sides. I am positive that Camille may join her brother in the Senate. Imee has already been dislodged by her own brother from the Alyansa ticket. It was Imee who roasted BBM's alter egos in the Senate hearings. It was Imee who burned the Bridge to Malacanang. She will be given a dose of her own medicine.

I like Imee. I always voted for her. But, as of today, she is like a bat, neither a beast nor a bird. Instead of gaining two horses, Imee Marcos is losing both. It's a pity because she has the brains and also the beauty. This time, the beauty shall be beaten by the beast.