Ever since Vice President Sara Duterte faced budget hearings and got grilled like a Sunday lechon, the noise about the persecution of the Dutertes has been cranked up several notches.

Add to that the Senate’s invitation to former President Rodrigo Duterte to explain his little, shall we say, “anti-drug experiment,” and you’ve got a recipe for political drama, fit only for a telenovela marathon.

But is this all about justice, or are we witnessing a preview of next year’s midterm election circus?

The erstwhile poster child of tough-talking leadership (when her dad’s not around), Sara recently found herself in the Senate’s hot seat when angry senators poked at her budget. Hontiveros threw a few sharp questions, Cayetano added some spicy remarks, and soon the whole thing resembled a “Bake Sara Duterte” cooking show.

And, of course, the moment anyone critiques Sara, the Dutertistas rise up like they’ve seen a threat to their political messiah. Suddenly, there’s chatter about how poor Sara is being persecuted, how this is all a grand scheme to bring down the Duterte dynasty.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Is Sara really being persecuted, or is this a typical Senate exercise of flexing investigative muscles ahead of the elections?

Sara, like her father, is no stranger to political maneuvering. She’s been cagey lately, distancing herself from Marcos while still wielding power as the VP. If you look closely, the attacks on her aren’t really more intense than what any other political figure would endure, given the circumstances. This isn’t persecution. This is politics.

The Senate’s move to invite former President Rodrigo Duterte to explain his drug war is yet another theatrical performance worthy of the CCP Main Theater. The former president, who famously said, “I don’t care about human rights,” is now being asked to explain why his policies led to, oh, just a few thousand extrajudicial killings.

But let’s be honest here — do they really think Duterte will show up in the Senate chambers, calmly give a PowerPoint presentation, and nod while saying, “Oops, my bad?”

Nah. What’s more likely is that this whole invitation is a trap. A trap for headlines, that is. The senators are grandstanding, preparing to polish their “tough on crime, tougher on Duterte” resumes for the upcoming midterm elections.

In a country where name recall is everything, what better way to ensure the voters remember you than by taking a swing at the big bad Duterte? Whether he actually appears in the Senate is beside the point. The fact that his name is being brought up and debated means that both sides — those who despise him and those who worship him — are riled up again.

All of these — the attacks on Sara, the probe of Rodrigo — are set against the backdrop of the 2025 midterm elections. It’s the perfect warm-up for the political theater we’ll be seeing in the coming months.

Senators need something to boost their popularity, and going after a political giant like Duterte is a surefire way to get some free press. On the flip side, the Dutertes themselves could use this attention. They thrive on being painted as underdogs, the ones fighting against the political elite, even though they are the elite.

So, is all this just political grandstanding? Absolutely. The lawmakers are playing the “tough cop” routine for the cameras, while the Dutertes, particularly Sara, will milk the “woe is me” narrative for all it’s worth. Both sides are just gearing up for the elections, trying to figure out how to leverage this political ping-pong match in their favor.

In the end, this isn’t about persecution. It’s about election preparation. The Dutertes know the game as well as anyone, and they’ll use these so-called attacks as fuel for their 2025 and 2028 campaign engines.

The Senate, too, will pat themselves on the back for “standing up to power,” even if their efforts amount to nothing more than political karaoke. So, sit back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the show. It’s election season, after all — where persecution is just another word for free publicity.

E-mail: mannyangeles27@gmail.com