MANILA – Sara Duterte, the feisty Philippine vice president and arch-rival of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, has gotten a new lease on political life after the Senate voted not to proceed with an impeachment trial against her.
In February, Duterte became the first Philippine vice president to be impeached for charges of violating the constitution, massive corruption and of allegedly plotting to assassinate Marcos and his wife.
Shortly thereafter, her father – ex-strongman Rodrigo Duterte, initially seen as untouchable – was arrested and swiftly flown to the Hague to face trial for “crimes against humanity” for the thousands of deaths in his brutal war on drugs campaign while serving as president from 2016-2022.
Marcos has tried to distance himself from the troubles of the Duterte family, but pundits here believe that the legislative victory for Sara Duterte – albeit controversial – could cement her family’s political dynasty at the national level.
New elections are due in May 2028, where Sara Duterte is expected to vie for the presidency. By law, Marcos is limited to one six-year term.
The Supreme Court, a coequal branch of the government, struck down the impeachment complaint but did not absolve Sara Duterte of the complaints lodged against her. It said that the case could be refiled next year, but few believe it will go ahead after the top court’s ruling.
On Wednesday, 19 senators voted to archive the impeachment, four wanted it to proceed, while one abstained. Political and security analyst Chester Cabalza, head of the International Development and Security Cooperation think-tank, said that the vote meant that many still see the Duterte family as power brokers.
“The Dutertes have a stronghold in the judiciary and the upper chamber of the legislative branch,” Cabalza told Asia Times on Thursday (August 7). “While the country is politically polarized, the Dutertes have had a share of why politicians are hedging with them.”
The Senate’s archiving of the motion means that “Sara remains an undisputed candidate for the 2028 presidential election,” he said. “And her probable win is also China’s preferential pivot and return to power,” in the Philippines, Cabalza added.
He was referring to China’s unprecedented access to the inner sanctum of Philippine politics during the term of Rodrigo Duterte, who had crossed swords with long-time defense ally the United States in favor of China.
He embraced Chinese investors, went to China five times, openly fawned over Chinese President Xi Jinping and ignored a 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of Manila over their disputes in the South China Sea.
When Marcos succeeded Rodrigo Duterte, he swiftly repaired strained bilateral ties with Washington, allowing American troops access to additional Filipino bases in the north, including those where they could readily monitor Taiwan amid rising fears of a Chinese invasion.
Politicians, Cabalza said, “are still betting their fates and chances with Sara in case she wins” as president three years from now. In May, many of the politicians that she backed in the campaign for congressional and senatorial positions won.
In fact, Rodrigo Duterte, also won as mayor of his hometown, Davao City, even while in International Criminal Court (ICC) detention, as did his son, Sebastian, who won as vice-mayor. Another son, Paolo, won reelection to Congress.
Senator Imee Marcos, the president’s sister who has complicated the clan feud by aligning with Sara, in explaining her vote to archive the impeachment said late Wednesday on a nationally televised broadcast that oppositionists needed to respect the view of the Supreme Court.
“The voice of the Supreme Court is the voice of the constitution,” she said. “And those against this are driven purely by ambition.” She called on everyone to “move on” and accept the ruling.
Rodrigo Duterte’s former police chief, Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who oversaw the first phase of the drug war, stressed that while the Senate was a coequal with the high court, it would do well to “peacefully co-exist” with the judiciary.
“We must follow the Supreme Court ruling, not because it is the most convenient thing to do, but because it is what is right and just – no matter how unacceptable or painful it may be,” Dela Rosa said.
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, one of the four dissenters, stressed that voting to archive the impeachment was tantamount to abandoning their mandate. “We may dismiss or archive the Articles of Impeachment, but it is more difficult to dismiss the pain of the public looking for justice,” she stressed.
Jason Gutierrez was head of Philippine news at BenarNews, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia (RFA), a Washington-based news organization that covered many under-reported countries in the region. A veteran foreign correspondent, he has also worked with The New York Times and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Radio Free Asia, in case you were wondering.