Photo credit: Sara Duterte

Who's to blame for Sara Duterte's resurgence?

Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment is dead—at least, for now or so it seems.

Whether it will be revived after the May 2025 elections is a question best answered by the administration and its allies, who have been pushing for Duterte’s removal ever since the collapse of the so-called Uniteam.

Despite facing allegations of corruption, impropriety, and misdemeanor—charges that could amount to betrayal of public trust, a ground for impeachment—Sara has managed to avoid significant political fallout, much like a cat with nine lives that refuses to die.

Call it luck or fate, but the longer Duterte survives this political debacle, the more it highlights the administration’s glaring weakness and its inability to deliver the “fatal blow” to a foe that continues to advocate for its downfall.

Suddenly, all the congressional probes aimed at building a case against Sara have become irrelevant, as they failed to bring the issue to a logical conclusion—her impeachment.

The initial purpose of the House inquiry was to create a semblance of guilt around the vice president regarding the charges against her.

In part, the administration’s congressmen succeeded, as Sara Duterte’s popularity has indeed slumped. However, while the investigations achieved minimal success, they fell short of their ultimate goal: making Sara accountable through impeachment.

When President Bongbong Marcos stated in December of last year that impeaching Sara would be detrimental to the nation’s interests, some flip-flopping lawmakers saw an opportunity to play coy, likely using the President’s position as leverage to further their own agendas.

As it stands, these congressmen have succeeded with their grand design, but at the detriment of the President’s leadership—his resolve in handling serious political crises, like Sara’s.

In this unfolding saga, some are beginning to question PBBM’s decisiveness and his reluctance to resort to iron-clad measures as a proportional response to a brewing political crisis.

Marcos’ image of being conflict-averse is not doing him any favors, especially when facing an adversary like Duterte, who thrives on being on the offensive.

The President does not need to be a “brawler,” but at the very least, he should start putting up a fight to demonstrate to the people that when he said, “papalagan ko ito (Duterte’s vile threats),” he truly meant it.

Yes, Sara Duterte will resist any attempt to incapacitate her politically. It’s human nature to fight when confronted with threats.

But if there’s one thing that has become clear in this political “telenovela,” it’s that Sara Duterte is, after all, only human. She is susceptible to political damage, and her alleged wrongdoings have now been exposed for everyone to scrutinize.

Also exposed was Sara’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing charges for illegal acts committed during his time in office.

Many thought the Dutertes were immune to political attacks and that allegations of criminal acts would not stick to them because of their Teflon-like cover.

This is unraveling as a myth. Judging by the testimonies of witnesses during the House hearings and the pieces of evidence presented, the Dutertes may have a lot of explaining to do.

More than criminal proceedings, impeachment is a political process.

If impeached, Sara would only be removed from office, but would not face punitive actions for the alleged crimes.

The criminal aspect of the case would only come after the impeachment, when the appropriate court takes cognizance of the matter, using whatever findings the impeachment court has against Sara Duterte.

The impeachment process, by and large, would serve as a crucial starting point for legal mechanisms enshrined in the Constitution, ensuring elected officials like Sara Duterte are held accountable to the laws they swore to uphold.

Even if Sara Duterte refuses to “die” politically at this point, efforts to hold her accountable should continue. No amount of external intervention should stop this administration from fulfilling its legal obligation to the people and the nation.

Whatever motivations lawmakers have for their sudden change of heart on this matter, the longer the case against the vice president remains unresolved, the greater the disservice to the people.

Roseten Tugaff

Roseten “Tenten” Tugaff is an experienced journalist with a rich background in reporting. He began his career in the mid-’90s, working with the now-defunct Manila Chronicle and The Manila Times shortly after graduating from college. Throughout his career, he has also held various roles in government. Currently, he is a freelance media relations practitioner and hosts his own online political podcast.