Trials, tactics, survival

Absence: Strategy or avoidance?

Vice President Sara Duterte will again skip the House Committee on Justice hearing on the impeachment complaint against her, standing by a position her camp calls strategic.

Her spokesperson, Atty. Michael Poa, insists she will answer only in the Senate, the “proper forum” for an impeachment.

“Yes, because that has always been our position,” Poa said.

But the accusations building in the House are not minor.

Lawmakers have cited possible violations of the Constitution and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act over alleged discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth. Records presented at the hearings point to billions in transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, far exceeding her declared assets.

There are also allegations tied to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, with officials noting patterns of transactions that could suggest attempts to obscure the origin of the funds. Separate audit reports have ordered the return of hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds.

Duterte has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that her assets were properly declared.

Still, the choice not to appear leaves these claims largely unanswered in the very forum where they are being laid out.

This is a political gamble. By skipping the House, Duterte avoids immediate scrutiny but allows allegations of unexplained wealth, fund misuse and possible money laundering to dominate the narrative unchecked.

In an impeachment, silence is not neutral. It fills the room — and often, it speaks louder than any defense.

— Jason Mago

Forget impeachment

No matter how explosive the accusations, no matter how many times Sonny Trillanes parks himself in a hearing room — the only thing that matters are the numbers. The Senate votes.

Senators are political animals. Survival is their religion. They ally with whomever they think the masa will follow come election time. Conviction has nothing to do with it. Neither does justice. It is pure naked political self-preservation.

That is why they will not impeach Sara Duterte. They don’t have the numbers. They never did.

So what is all this then? The hearings, the live streams, the furrowed brows and dramatic arguments?

Every “explosive” hearing, every live-streamed grandstanding session by righteous-looking representatives and senators positioning for 2028 — all of it for votes. Every pointed question, every revelation is a campaign ad in disguise.

But unknowingly, or perhaps very knowingly, they are feeding one machine: the Ombudsman.

The real Plan B was never the Senate. It was always Ombudsman Boying. Graft. Plunder. Malversation. Cases that will bar Sara from running entirely.

No impeachment needed. Just a conviction, or even a strong enough case, before election day.

The hearings are theater. The Sandiganbayan is the endgame.

— Carl Magadia

Like father, like daughter

On Wednesday, the father and daughter were expected to face scrutiny — one before the ICC, the other at an impeachment hearing.

Both their seats were vacant, however. No shows.

The ICC ruled that it had jurisdiction over the Philippines despite the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019, as the alleged violations were committed by Rodrigo Duterte before the exit.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council flagged ₱6.7-billion worth of transactions linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband. It also noted that she did not declare cash deposits and cash on hand in her SALNs from 2019 to 2024.

For Filipinos, this is a moment of accountability — long overdue. For some politicians, however, it is a different kind of victory.

Their push may not be rooted in justice alone, but in blocking a Duterte return to the presidency out of fear that they will be wiped out. As some claim, Inday knows who the real corrupt are and who went after her father.

Perhaps their political survival will benefit from what others are fighting for as justice.

Confidence in one’s innocence is shown by facing accusations directly — not by leaving an empty chair behind. If that seat is left empty at crucial moments, one might as well give up their seat in power.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. As the expression goes, “Manang-mana ka talaga sa tatay mo (You really take after your dad)!”

— Vivienne Angeles