UST POLITICAL Science professors have linked the historic impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte to the rift between her family and the Marcos administration, but they differ on the possible motive behind the move, which capped the pre-midterm elections sessions of Congress.
UST Department of Political Science chair Assoc. Prof. Dennis Coronacion noted that transparency and accountability from accused officials is among the traits of a “working and healthy Philippine democracy.”
“If you’re going to make her (Duterte) accountable for impeachment, that means that we do not allow a culture of impunity [and] we would like to put an end to the so-called culture of impunity,” Coronacion told The Flame.
Duterte is facing the threat of being removed from office after 215 out of 306 lawmakers at the House of Representatives voted to impeach her on Feb. 5 over allegations of misconduct and misuse of funds, graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust. She is the first vice president in the Philippines to be impeached.
Four impeachment complaints have been filed against the vice president, a former runningmate of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. who eventually broke ties with his administration over political differences.
The complaint has been transmitted to the Senate, which will act as an impeachment court. A two-thirds vote of the Senate is needed to convict Duterte and to oust her as vice president.
Among those who backed the impeachment complaint was the President’s son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos and his cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Coronacion said he was surprised by the development since the issue escalated from an “intense” dispute into concrete efforts to make Duterte accountable for her alleged misdeeds.
“‘Let’s spare Sara,’ that was his (Marcos) stance at the time… Everything was going well amid the intense word war, and it seemed like they were about to slap Sara until things pacified and mellowed down,” Coronacion said.
Marcos had rejected calls to impeach Duterte in November, saying it would not make a difference in the lives of Filipinos.
In the same month, Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres said the government is considering filing sedition charges against the vice president for her “grave threats” against Marcos, Romualdez and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos.
He was reacting to Duterte’s remark that she had tapped someone to kill the president, the first lady and the House speaker if the assassination plot against her is carried out.
For Political Science instructor Marlon Villarin, the impeachment’s sincerity is questionable since the Marcos camp may only be using it as a “political smokescreen.”
“What took them so long? Is it because they are politically bargaining with the Dutertes?… It was a blatant show of ‘the president has a hand on this.’ If Sandro signed it, who will follow? It’s a loyalty test,” Villarin said.
Coronacion said Duterte’s plan to run for president in 2028 as well as former president Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks against Marcos, may have contributed to the impeachment of the vice president.
The former president, the father of Duterte, has accused Marcos of being a drug addict. The President had said he won’t dignify the accusation with a reaction.
“Maybe the Marcos administration was pressured to finally give in to the demand,” Coronacion said.
During a media briefing last Feb. 6, Marcos denied having any involvement in the impeachment complaint.
“From this point on, I’m just a very interested observer. But again, I don’t appear, I will not be part of it, not – there will be no representation from the executive. Why should there be?” the President said.
“I am sure that the parties that filed the impeachment cases felt strongly about it. And despite… expressing my opinion that we really – we’d rather not have the impeachment, they continued to do that,” he added.
‘Political gamble’
Villarin described the impeachment as one of the country’s “biggest political gamble” while Congress is in recess from Feb. 6 to June 1. This means that Duterte’s impeachment trial is likely to occur after the May midterm elections and the vice president’s fate may be sealed by an entirely new set of lawmakers.
If convicted, Duterte would be removed from the vice presidency and disqualified from any position in the government.
“If you look at it through a strategic lens, the best way to make a person irrelevant is to stop talking about them. But why file it in the last two-minute period? Why file an impeachment complaint where they know [the] Senate can no longer act on it until June 2?” Villarin said.
UST Central Student Council public relations officer Annie Nichole Agon believes the Marcos administration should also be held accountable for its alleged abuses.
“[The impeachment] poses a bigger challenge for the youth and students to intensify their movement not only to strip Sara Duterte of position but also to hold Marcos Jr. and their administration accountable for their transgressions against the nation,” she said.
Ronald Castillo, also an instructor of the Political Science department, was pleased to see that the House of Representatives was “not completely” under the control of political dynasties.
“All the hearings made me worry that those were just performative acts, but maybe were finally getting justice for the theft of Filipino taxpayer money,” Castillo said.
Castillo said he expects a mix of disinformation materials to appear in the wake of impeachment, such as trolls and fake accounts in support of Duterte, and politicized campaigns against her.
“This is the broader and long-term impact of Duterte clan politics: dive and conquer… Their attempt to win the seats of government have been through fear-mongering via labels and through factions by capitalizing on propaganda,” he said.
Student leaders Artlets Student Council acting president Kevin Christian Crisolo and Panday Sining UST secretary general Raven Racelis regard the impeachment as a victory for groups advocating good governance.
“[It’s] a big win for us, especially us young student voice leaders, because youth nowadays are very different when it comes to raising their voice. We are very vocal, especially when we see mistakes and the mistakes in Sara Duterte’s leadership,” Crisolo said.
“The [impeachment] is symbolic of how Filipinos are deeply experiencing the crisis in the economy and politics where wages are very low, the quality of education is very poor, but those at the top are taking or stealing the people’s money,” Racelis said.
‘Long overdue’
On the day of the impeachment, activist groups trooped to the House of Representatives to support Duterte’s impeachment.
Bayan Muna party-list chairperson Neri Colmenares said Duterte’s impeachment was long overdue and a necessary action towards accountability.
“She (Duterte) refuses to answer the Commission on Audit and the Congress, but now, in the impeachment trial, she must answer. Otherwise, she will be convicted and removed from office,” the former congressman told The Flame.
Former Gabriela party-list representative and senatorial aspirant Liza Maza described the impeachment process as an uphill battle but a necessary one.
“This is a good sign, but the continued movement of the people is crucial, I think that really dictated the course of events. The connection to the impeachment complaint,” Maza said.
However, Political Science instructor Paul Micah Francisco noted that the impeachment process is not yet complete and that the Senate’s role would be crucial.
“The ball is now in the Senate’s hands, and they will continue the process after the 2025 midterm elections. The senators will act as judges and vote upon the VP’s (vice president) impeachment. If they do, VP Sara will be officially removed from her position,” Francisco said.
“Impeaching the vice president through this process proves that we can uphold the Constitution and make public officials accountable… Regardless of our opinion on the VP and her alleged violations, she deserves due process and an impartial trial.”
According to the Social Weather Stations (SWS), Durterte’s trust rating dropped to 49% in January from 52% in December last year.
A separate December poll also found that 41% of Filipinos favor her impeachment. F — John Martin Revilla and Mariamne Yasmin Yap with reports from Justine Nicole Malonzo and Ma. Alyanna Selda
