LAST week, Vice President Sara Duterte declared her intention to seek the country’s highest post in 2028. But that was most expected. Even her siblings have been airing that, even threatening they would get back at their political opponents once they regain power in 2028. There is absolutely nothing new here. Or so it seems.
For this time around, Sara has taken the politics of her announcement of seeking the presidency to a new level. Not simply to exploit the flaws of the law in early campaigning, but to play the victim role. As we are all aware, no less than four impeachment complaints have been lodged against her and the House of Representatives is expected to tackle those starting this week, to coincide with the hearing for the confirmation of charges against her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Everything was evident in her speech during her announcement. That she was frustrated with the Marcos administration due to unfulfilled campaign promises which led to her resignation as secretary of the Department of Education in 2024. And that she has been long expecting the administration to initiate impeachment cases against her.
The long short story of it is that Sara can now use the impeachment complaint against her to project her family as now being politically persecuted for her falling-out with her running mate in the 2022 elections.
As it stands now, Sara can now use her candidacy announcement as another platform in furtherance of her portrayal as “The Victim.”
Sara desperately needs that. And here’s why.
Last year, the complainants, even the members of the House who endorsed the impeachment, were aware they cannot secure the required number of votes in the Senate to convict Sara. But they proceeded with the transmittal of the complaint expecting they would be thoroughly discussed during the trial. Unfortunately, it was “forthwith-ed” (sorry if I have to coin that term as that was how last year’s impeachment complaint was described in Tagalog, ‘Na-forthwith’).
The same is expected now. At most, the complainants could only muster 15 pro-conviction votes at the Senate. Not even the possible removal of five senators who are either facing possible arrest from the International Criminal Court or possible charges in connection with the flood control project anomaly could reverse the situation. The Constitution is clear. A two-thirds vote of all members of the Senate is required to convict an impeachable official and that number stands at 16.
So, what does Sara fear? While we see a no-conviction verdict to come from a Senate trial, the impeachment proceedings, from the House to the Senate, would expose her as what the complainants would want to picture her to be — a corrupt, plundering and incompetent public official with an unstable state of mind. And that was the intent of impeachment all along.
And having learned their lessons last year, I believe the House would not take the fast route by securing the endorsement of at least one-third of all the House members for an automatic transmittal. As I see it, the House would take its time in discussing the complaints, maximize all the remaining session days and expose Sara as contained in the complaints, and transmit the consolidated impeachment complaint to the Senate before Congress goes into adjournment sine die. By then, whatever happens at the Senate, whether it would be junked or what, the objective would have been partially met.
But when it goes to full trial, which if my projection holds, would start at least two weeks after the president’s State of the Nation Address in July (that is based on the premise the Senate would again refuse to hold hearings during the recess just like last year), the proceedings would last until the last quarter of the year. By then, Sara would have dealt with her impeachment case for almost the whole of 2026.
Thus, her need to use the whole impeachment process to project her as the victim of political persecution. That the impeachment complaints against her was nothing but an attempt to stop her from running in 2028 in which she claims she would be a sure winner.
But I don’t think any amount of acting or camouflage can hide the facts behind the complaints. Nice try, though.
