In political survival’s name

That the House of Representatives deems the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte a priority despite the crippling economic crisis due to what is shaping up to be a stretched-out crisis in the Middle East should come as no surprise.

Everything we have seen (and will continue to see in the coming weeks) concerning Sara Duterte’s impeachment is all about political survival.

And this is not just about the continuity of the Marcos dynasty after a disappointing return to Malacañang. The Marcoses fear retribution after the rendition of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

For the many who continue to sit in the House, the exercise is also necessary to preserve their own political aspirations after their hand in the relentless political persecution of VP Sara.

So why has Ramil Madriaga been brought out before the public? In the best-case scenario, assuming his credibility holds up, the proponents of the impeachment case want it to be the smoking gun that finally puts an end to Sara Duterte’s bid for the presidency in 2028.

As a consolation, should the numbers to convict in the Senate continue to be uncertain, the exercise would still have been worth it if only to erode the public’s trust in Sara in the hopes of giving the administration’s anointed successor at least a fighting chance at winning at the polls.

While there has been a lot of speculation as to the state of the relationship between the Romualdezes and the Marcoses, in the case of Sara Duterte, they should at least be on the same side since the Vice President is also on the warpath against the President, the First Lady, and the former Speaker. Marcos for his role in the rendition of the former President, the First Lady, and the former Speaker for whatever transpired between them, even before the UniTeam officially and very publicly fell apart.

And the rumors of the possibility that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would replace Bojie Dy as Speaker have many wondering if it is possible that, given the closeness of GMA with Sara, this could pave the way for a truce between Sara and PBBM. This not only makes no sense given the irreversible (and unforgivable) nature of the rendition of the former President but is also out of character for Sara Duterte.

It appears that someone out there wants to drive an even bigger wedge between the cousins. Regardless of whatever is going on in that family, it does not bode well for any of them should Sara Duterte (or any other Duterte) become the frontrunner for the presidency in 2028.

Meanwhile, a faction of the Duterte camp has launched Baste Duterte as a “Plan B” in the event that Sara is convicted and meted out the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

This is just after Acting Mayor Baste Duterte has been sworn in as the full-fledged mayor of Davao in the absence and incapacity of the old man Duterte to fulfill his mayoral duties while in detention in The Hague.

This Plan B is really a Plan C, since Sara still has the option (“the Plan B”) to resign and give up the vice presidency before she is convicted in the impeachment trial to preempt her disqualification.