Bongbong and Imee: Sibling rivalry or political masterstroke?

Bongbong and Imee: The two siblings’ political styles are reflective of their contrasting personalities, says the writer. – Reuters

WHILE President Marcos Jr is trying hard to become the president of all Filipinos, his elder sister Senator Imee Marcos seems bent on being this administration’s antagonist-in-chief, whose role is to continue taunting and mocking their family’s perceived political enemies. Is this a coordinated good cop/bad cop manoeuvre designed to maximise the returns of a double-pronged approach to complete political rehabilitation? Or is it a mere case of sibling rivalry?

My hunch is that, though they are meant to serve the same purpose, the two siblings’ political styles are reflective of their differential orientation to mass media, and ultimately of their contrasting personalities. Bongbong appears more attuned to the demands of traditional or mainstream media, whereas Imee is clearly more at home in the unstable vocabulary and polarising propensity of the new social media.