Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s purported plan to stage a comeback for the country’s top post in the 2028 election, allegedly as retaliation if his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, is convicted by the Senate impeachment court, is “pure desperation” and a blatant disregard of the Constitution, House leaders said Friday.

Davao Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, a prominent ally of the former President, recently revealed the alleged plan, claiming that the VP’s possible conviction may push the 79-year-old Duterte to reclaim the presidency for her.

“This is the most desperate plan I've seen. It shows they've run out of cards to play. They have admitted that their bet has lost, and there is no other card to throw amid the negative issues they are facing,” said House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V. He noted that it would be difficult for them to regain the presidency as the public is already aware of their pro-China stance.

Even before her historic impeachment last week, VP Duterte openly admitted her intention to run for president in 2028 and consistently topped surveys as the preferred successor to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with whom she had a bitter falling out.

However, the possibility of her conviction by the Senate impeachment tribunal could end her presidential ambitions, as the conviction carries a perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

Alvarez implied that if the impeachment trial in the Senate succeeds and blocks the VP from running, the former president could take over since the constitutional ban only applies to the incumbent president seeking re-election.

“Remember, the prohibition in the Constitution is for re-election. When you say re-election, he must be a sitting president. President Rodrigo Duterte is not the sitting president now,” Alvarez stated.

However, Manila Rep. Joel Chua, a lawyer and member of the prosecution team against Duterte, argued otherwise.

“The 1987 Constitution expressly provides that the president is not eligible for ANY re-election. The word ‘ANY’ means he can no longer run in any presidential election, whether the succeeding presidential election or thereafter,” Chua told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre also told DAILY TRIBUNE that re-election for president is explicitly prohibited by the Constitution and that “there is no need to qualify the plain language of the law.”

Meanwhile, Ortega warned the public to be wary of being misled by political maneuvers, calling it a prime example of a “scam.”

“It’s evil to think that we can just fool the people with misinformation when our Constitution strictly prohibits the re-election of a president,” Ortega asserted.

Under Article VII, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution, the president cannot seek any re-election or qualify for the same office after serving more than four years.

Even retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio dismissed Alvarez’s proposal, stating that former President Duterte cannot serve more than one term.

Supporters of VP Duterte have suggested that she step down to avoid a possible conviction that could block her presidential ambitions. However, the unfazed VP insisted she had not yet considered such an option.

The Senate will need a two-thirds vote, or at least 16 of the 24 sitting senators, to convict Duterte. If convicted, she will be perpetually disqualified from holding any public office in the future.