“I AM very happy… without declaring martial law I dismantled the oligarchy that controlled the economy and the Filipino people,” President Rodrigo Roa Duterte proudly declared yesterday, 13 July 2020, after 70 members of the Franchise Committee and ex-officio officers voted not to grant ABS-CBN its frequencies to operate.

This following an earlier statement by Alan Peter Cayetano, Taguig Representative and Speaker of the House of Representatives (HOR): “We simply put an end to the privilege of one family in using a public resource to protect and promote their private interest.”

By definition, an oligarchy is a group that has “control of a country, organization or institution.” By the way these political leaders use the term, it is a small group of rich people that controls the country through the economy and their influence on the political system.

What makes this administration so afraid of this oligarchy? Not so much as they are meaning to make a deal and even subvert the legal system to keep their fortunes. Duterte and his minions are afraid of the oligarchy using its economic might and influence for dissent.

As cited in numerous published works and treatises, the Philippines and its economy are lorded over by a small group of rich conglomerates like the Zobel-Ayala, Tan, Sy, Razon, MVP, Villar, Lopez. All of these have grown and protected their wealth by making deals with government, appeasing regulators, and betting correctly during electoral exercises. Most of them are “survivors,” spanning generations and government administrations – friendly or not so – able to shift through violent winds of political change.

The Lopez group – or family, in the less “business corporate” sense – stands apart from this usual oligarchy because of its hardline stance on certain political non-negotiables. They were the first victims on this “war against the oligarchy” when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, got back at his own Vice President Fernando Lopez, jailed Eugenio “Geny” Lopez and Serge Osmeña, and shut down their ABS-CBN network for the first time.

The Lopezes got back on their business track in 1986 and clawed their way back up into their business empire, especially with ABS-CBN which seriously pursued being the country’s largest network with a reach leaps and bounds ahead of its competition.

Perhaps it was indeed hubris on their part that the Lopezes had an attitude of not giving a hoot about what the various government administrations that followed Marcos felt about them. But the combination of fortitude from their martial law experience and gained media strength gave them the balls to stare down anybody, including the highest office of the land.

The killing of ABS-CBN by the administration has chopped off one of the Lopez group’s tentacles, but it does not end there. Michael Defensor, Representative of the AnaKalusugan partylist and among the most vocal participants in the franchise hearings, so clearly announced that they were going for the jugular. Right before the death blow vote on ABS-CBN he went on a tirade on the Lopez oligarchy, its old control on MERALCO coupled with its supply on power generation. And while indeed the Lopez group had divested itself of the power distributorship, Defensor pointed out their stronghold on the legally mandated guarantee for the purchase of their generated power.

These are the subjects of the Good Government committee hearings in the coming days of which Defensor sits as Vice Chair and Jonathan Sy-Alvarado of Bulacan, who ever so ably maneuvered the vote against ABS-CBN, chairs.

It is expected they will comb through all the Lopez enterprises in what they call “in aid of legislation.”

Just as government critics say the ABS-CBN closure has a chilling effect on media, this should send chills down the rich conglomerates’ spines. Duterte’s threat to take back the water concessions earlier this year from Ayala’s Manila Water and MVP’s Maynilad was a small signal. Yes, they made up for it and he has up to a point forgiven them. But now the fear is real: cross me and you will lose everything.

As of this writing Harry Roque, the president’s spokesman said that Duterte’s statement was not a jab on the Lopezes and ABS-CBN but “was referring to Lucio Tan, Manny Pangilinan, and the Ayala Clan when he said he ‘dismantled’ the oligarchy.” If any, this serves as a validation of the broader message that this administration has in dealing with the rich families and conglomerates.

The disempowerment of the oligarchs is the second factor in stemming dissent. The first was with the recent passing of Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. And this addresses dissent on the broad populace – the masses or the ordinary you and me of society.

The chilling effect of this law isn’t on its provisions on what will be done to terrorists. In fact, as its staunch supporters say, safeguards in the law and abuse by its implementors such as police and military are enshrined in it.

The danger is in the definition of who the terrorist is. As it is anybody who expresses the slightest dissatisfaction with government can be identified as a terrorist for having publicly ridiculed government and incited public action against political leaders. The flavor of the month is what the president has tagged as the Reds, the leftists and left-leaning individuals and organizations. It does not matter if they have indeed committed acts of terrorism. They have been Red tagged and are thus terrorists, subject to arrest and prosecution according to the law.

This could only spread to other persons or groups perceived and labeled as such, sending a chilling effect against those ordinary people with legitimate grievance and dissent.

Yes, no more need to declare martial law.