Vilifying VP Sara Duterte

In no other time in the annals of Philippine events have we witnessed politicians of varied ideological persuasions and agendas coming together in a grand conspiracy to get rid of a lone adversary early in the presidential election derby than now.

Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte stands alone against the horde of salivating politicians and a herd of trolls. The former want to stay in power, the latter to continue partaking of the loot their masters purloined in broad daylight from the treasury of people’s taxes. Since the start of the Marcos administration, they have grown callous toward public indignation.

The greed and the fear of being brought to the court of justice under yet another Duterte leadership herded them together in a shameless and immoral agenda: “No to another Duterte in power.” Risa Hontiveros aired it first, Leila de Lima followed suit, and an irrelevant ex-senator, Antonio Trillanes, made it his career.

In response, Vice President Sara made a curt declaration: “I am running for president.“

The leaders of the pack, who made up the so-called Justice Committee of the House of Representatives, lost no time in convening and resurrecting the impeachment earlier declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

In time, they summoned VP Sara to appear before them even as they were still fishing for evidence and witnesses. What they can only present as witnesses are Ramil Madriaga, the convicted leader of a kidnap-for-ransom syndicate, and putschist Trillanes.

Representative Rufus Rodriguez from Cagayan de Oro aptly described the convicted leader of a kidnap-for-ransom syndicate, Madriaga, as “a polluted source.”

Trillanes, who has offered himself as a witness against Sara, is a predictable character. He has made it his lifetime career to vilify the Duterte family, including FPRRD’s younger daughter, Kitty, even when she was barely 10 years old.

These days, Trillanes joins the propaganda lines of Marcos spokesperson, Kler Castro, who had the gall to declare that Davao City is a dangerous place to live and invest in.

Domestic and international survey results, however, eloquently argue against them. Investors apparently do not believe them, as big business enterprises have recently poured billions of pesos into Davao City.

VP Sara waived her right to defend herself before the House Justice Committee and the members wailed like hungry hyenas wanting to have a pound of flesh and draw the first blood from their prey.

Failing to lure VP Sara to their battleground, the would-be grand inquisitors resorted to a joint attack on their lone rival, who would rather climb remote towns and barangays than waste her time in what was then known as the House of Romualdez.

Last week, she visited the town of Lamut in Ifugao to the delight of the mountain dwellers who saw, for the first time in their existence, a top government official trek into their place of abode.

Failing to entice Sara to step into their trap, the grand conspiracy has resorted to defaming her on social media. Conspicuously, too, they hired a bevy of additional propagandists in their corral of trolls to beef up their attack on the Vice President.

Their tirades, however, only proved the strength of Sara, who had been honed to fight her own battles amidst the myriad adversities.