In a display of poetic posturing worthy of the finest historical revisionists, Sara Duterte’s recent declaration of being “unbowed” in Congress might have sent Nelson Mandela himself spinning in his grave. It’s as if Mandela, after decades of battling apartheid, was merely rehearsing for this very moment—where his legacy of resilience could be perfectly distilled into Duterte’s statement defending her billion-peso “confidential funds.” 

Let’s not forget William Ernest Henley’s **”Invictus,”** with its iconic line about a “bloody, but unbowed” head. Mandela recited it during 27 years of imprisonment; Sara invoked it after a few parliamentary budget inquiries.

The satire writes itself: Sara, braving the storm of congressional questioning over funds that seem as confidential as an open secret, channels the spirits of revolutionary leaders. But instead of overcoming injustice, the battle here is for… *survival of budgets*. Indeed, the lofty phrase “I remain unbowed” has found a new, albeit ironic, home.