`Balimbing’ ng Politika Or Turncoatism of Politics

By: Joe Mauricio

A turncoat is a person who shifts allegiance from one loyalty to another party, betraying or deserting an original cause, or by switching to opposing side or political party. “Balimbing” is a Filipino fruit that has the scientific name Averrhoa carambola. It’s called a star fruit in English because when you cut it crosswise, the shape you see is that of a star. (To compare, when you cut a watermelon in half, the shape you see is a circle. It has become a slang for a traitor or a turncoat. This is because the balimbing fruit has many sides. Politicians who change parties or loyalties based on who’s currently has authority are frequently called “balimbing.” In political history, this is distinct as to being a traitor, as the switch mostly goes or happens under some circumstances like the original political party losing in the election. Another factor is when the goal that formerly motivated and benefitted the politician becomes perceived as having become either no longer feasible or too costly, even if success is achieved. The Philippine Natonal Election 2016 was a text book of what turncoats were. Several politicians from other parties switched allegiance to Presidentelect Rodrigo Duterte as political polls is predicting a landslide win for Duterte. Often, these politicians are the first to change loyalties, for they have access to privileged information and are more aware of the hopelessness of the situation for their former cause or party. As time goes by along with embracing life under the new circumstances, comes a need of burying and rewriting the past by concealing evidences….the fear of the past coming to upset the turncoat or “balimbing”. The past is rewritten and whitewashed to cover the former wrongdoings. If successful, this delivery results in the distortion and falsification of historical events. The physical act of deflection is usually in a manner which violates the laws of the political parties, but they do it any way for political gains. Now, the winning president of the republic must do some miracles, a lot of campaign promises to be fulfilled in six years. America has always occupied a special place in the Filipino people. The more attention America pays to Filipinos the better Pinoys felt. It was a promise and the yardstick by which Filipinos measure and validate themselves. President Duterte is not looking for American help, but would like to change the form of government to Federalism. Philippines, emerging from the six-year term of Ninoy Aquino, believes that it wasn’t power but money. American capitalism worked because it wasn’t bolstered by an underlying sense of morality. Philippine democracy under Aquino, by contrast, was without scruples and looked a lot like theft. Duterte is driven by the ideas of restoring Philippines’ standing in the world. not through the economic achievement but by fighting crime and corruption, a president with an iron fist. The honeymoon will be short, and if President Duterte doesn’t live up to his promises, what would happen to the turncoats or balimbing in his new administration? Will they go back from their original parties? Or, look for another Duterte in the planet to move forward and practice turncoatism, for they are the experts?