To be honest, the Vice President should respond to the various allegations hurled against her, particularly those contained in the plunder case recently filed with the Office of the Ombudsman.
There is no doubt that this is politically motivated. Anyone who would say otherwise should tell that to the Marines. Clearly, those who oppose her have pooled their resources to bring her down, possibly at any cost.
Considering that she remains a frontrunner in the next Presidential elections, the only way she can be removed from the equation is either she gets impeached and disqualified to run for office or her reputation is debased by resorting to political maneuverings, such as filing cases, calculatedly meant to sway public opinion and intensify public anger against her.
Truth be told, the only way she can be defeated is if her opponents join forces. Her loyal supporters, who comprise a third of the voting public, are not expected to shift preference and will stick with her come hell or high water. So, if they wish to defeat her, they need to field a strong candidate who represents their interests. However, forming a similar “uniteam” as in 2022 is easier said than done, since they would have to compromise significantly. Given their ideological and political differences, they might think twice about forming some sort of alliance. I don’t see them seeing eye to eye.
This is why impeachment may be the only way to beat her. Right now, they seem to be moving in the right direction. The filing of the plunder case as well as the release of the affidavit of Ramil Madriaga — albeit poorly written — are meant to drum up public support for a potential filing of an impeachment case come February of next year.
Be that as it may, the Vice President should address these allegations head-on rather than ignore them. She cannot take a passive approach because, clearly, her detractors would do whatever they can to succeed.
If she is innocent, she has to convince the public she is. If guilty on the other hand, then she has to face the consequences. Either way, she has to respond judiciously.
Anyway, should public attention shift to this issue, certain personalities who are currently involved in the ongoing flood control controversy, such as the former speaker, can use this opportunity to deflect attention away from them and quietly expend effort to guarantee they would no longer be held liable.