Marcos, Duterte told to resign

Calls for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte have grown louder in light of explosive revelations linking them to corruption scandals.

The recent video exposé of former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, in which he explicitly accused Marcos of orchestrating the insertion of P100 billion into this year’s budget, has fueled the clamor for the President to step down. Co claimed Marcos got a P25-billion kickback from the P100 billion earmarked for flood control projects, many of which turned out to be substandard or non-existent.

House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio asserted that Duterte should also resign, saying she cannot lead a country while facing corruption issues of her own.

“Because the vice president already had issues even before, [like] the P612.5 million confidential funds,” Tinio said in Filipino. “Actually, there is another issue that has not been discussed much: her acceptance of campaign donations from contractors in the 2022 elections.”

A report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism revealed that Duterte received P19.9 million in paid advertising from Esdveco Realty Corp. for her 2022 campaign. Its owner, Glenn Escandor, is a Davao-based construction magnate and long-time Duterte ally. His other firm, Genesis88 Construction Inc., secured P2.9 billion worth of public works contracts, based on the Sumbong sa Pangulo website.

This is despite the Omnibus Election Code prohibiting candidates from accepting contributions from entities engaged in business with the government.

The same report disclosed that Marcos received donations from Rudhil Construction & Enterprises Inc. (P20 million) and Jonathan Quirante of Quirante Construction Corp. (P1 million). Both firms reportedly saw a surge in government contracts after the May 2022 elections.

Under the Constitution, the vice president assumes the presidency in case of the president’s removal, resignation, or death. Article 7, Section 8 also places the Senate President and House Speaker next in line should both top officials be unable to serve. The Senate is led by Vicente “Tito” Sotto, and the House by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy.

If both offices become vacant, Congress must pass a law within seven days calling for a special election, to be held within 40 to 60 days.

“The Constitution itself stipulates that if the president and vice president are removed, there will be a transition government,” Tinio said. “It wasn’t invented or pulled out of thin air by, for example, the Makabayan bloc.”

The bloc has argued that both Marcos and Duterte must resign, citing their alleged roles in corruption. Tinio added that any potential successors must have “clean records, free of any trace of corruption.”

The flood control scam has also spawned several anti-corruption groups, such as Artikulo Onse, which likewise demand the removal of both officials.