A relatively unknown retired military officer has become one of the fast-rising pro-Duterte/anti-Marcos vloggers with a monetized YouTube channel as his platform to rant against the current administration in a seemingly deranged and unfiltered manner.

Long-retired Army Captain Clemente Enrique Enrique, a 1983 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), announced two significant points: a movement to withdraw support from the current administration and a plea for Vice President Sara Duterte to “save the boat, save the country.”

His latest uploads include incendiary and defamatory rants about what he called a holiday “gift” for Filipinos and what appears to be his ‘political doomsday’ scenarios about the Marcos regime.

During his video message, Enrique, who left the military early in his career, declared Vice President Duterte as the de facto president, stating, “You are the president now, as far as I’m concerned.”

The video was marked by an ironic interruption when another retired soldier, sipping hot chocolate, discussed the “anger” of retired soldiers towards the Marcos government and even provided a phone number for chocolate orders.

The situation took a comical turn, considering these retired military personnel, trained at the taxpayers’ expense to serve the public, engaged in what seemed like pathetic antics and promoted their chocolate business during a politically charged message.

The retired army’s seemingly erratic vlogging style, coupled with instances where he encourages viewers not to skip YouTube ads, sparks speculation among skeptics that he’s primarily driven by financial motives.

A skeptic, operating a Facebook page named Truth Matters, took to Facebook to disclose that Dado, as he is known among his followers, is not retired but “resigned,” and is allegedly making a significant income from his YouTube posts.

“According to the Social Analytics tool Social Blade, Clemente’s estimated annual income from his channel ranges from 6,700 to 122,000 Pesos per month or 122 to 2,000 US Dollars,” Truth Matters said in an online post.

[Editor’s note: We were unable to independently fact-check these claims by this Facebook user]

Notably, some of Enrique’s PMA classmates, including National Security Adviser Eduardo Año and retired police general Roman “Popong” Felix, distanced themselves from Enrique’s claims, emphasizing that his statements are his personal views, Rappler reported.

The release of a “Manifesto ng Taong Bayan Para Sagipin ang Inang Bayan” further fueled the political storm.

The manifesto, characterized by its subpar writing and abundant grammar errors, offered strong criticism against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., portraying him as lacking competence, driven by greed, indolent, and cruel.

Within its content, there was a call for the withdrawal of support for Marcos, and it recognized Vice President Inday Sara Zimmerman Duterte as the legitimate president through succession.

On January 4, General Romeo Brawner, Jr., the Chief of the Armed Forces, released a statement underscoring the military’s allegiance to the Constitution and dedication to democratic principles. In a subtle tone, the statement addressed the nascent challenges of 2024.

The backdrop to these unfolding events can be traced to the disintegration of the Marcos-Duterte coalition.

As reported by Rappler, the underlying factors encompass military pension reforms, the resumption of peace negotiations with communist guerrillas, and President Marcos’s deliberate distancing from military generals.

The current situation bears a resemblance to historical mutinies and instances of withdrawing support from the commander-in-chief. However, the recent events are notable for their amateurish mimicry.

The lingering uncertainty revolves around whether these dramatic performances will evolve into a substantial challenge.

The key factor lies in the Marcos government’s capacity to discern between mere noise and genuine threats and to adeptly manage them.

In a separate but related incident, Enrique took to social media to make incendiary allegations against the Marcos administration.

Enrique, in a YouTube video, accused President Marcos of being a “cocaine” drug user deserving of “Tokhang,” a term associated with the violent anti-drug campaign during the Duterte regime.

Enrique outlined six doomsday scenarios for the Marcos administration, including the possibility of resignation or harm from the armed forces.

Drawing attention to a potential double standard, Enrique compared the president’s situation to an ordinary citizen who might easily fall victim to “Tokhang.”

The call for President Marcos to undergo a drug test echoed sentiments expressed by former Duterte spokesperson Harry Roque.