For the past year and a half, Citizen Sara Duterte has been subjected to the most vicious, malevolent and malicious demolition job ever mounted against a sitting vice president who was elected into office by 32.2 million of her countrymen a little over two years ago. Why so early and for what purpose?
Vice President Sara Duterte has been slapped with three impeachment complaints spearheaded by the unholy alliance of left-leaning and traditional and newbie politicians in the House of Representatives. Whether the impeachment raps gets off the ground anytime now is no longer an issue; what is in everybody’s mind is whether the Senate will convene itself as an Impeachment Court before or after the senatorial and local election in May 12, 2025.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), even the Philippine National Police-Quezon City took the cue and initiated the filing of murder, sedition charges and other “high crimes” under the Anti-Terrorism Law to allow the government to freeze and confiscate her personal assets and properties.
Ganging Up
Just before Congress took its Christmas break December last year, the Quad Committee recommended the filing of “graft and corruption” and “plunder charges” against the vice president and her senior staff over alleged “misuse of the confidential funds.”
There are those who have raised the question whether she is fit or competent to lead the country as its Vice President or President. There was a time late last year when her critics ganged up on her when in a press briefing she hurled a challenge "to exhume the body of former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and throw it at the West Philippine Sea.”
The attacks became vicious and personal. She was invariably called “unstable”, “unhinged”, “unbecoming”, of “unsound mind” and “needing psychiatric examination.” She denied them all as nothing but defamations. She adverted to the time when detractors of the late Miriam Defensor Santiago called her “buang” (insane), “lukaret” (crazy), and “hindi maayos ang pag-iisip” (unsound mind) but were eventually proven wrong.
Even her father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte(FPRRD) was not spared from the ferocious onslaught.
Beating To The Draw
The Quad Committee, in their 43-page Progress Report, recommended the filing of “crime against humanity” against VP Sara’s elderly father, along with long-time associates now lawmakers Senator Christopher Lawrence Bong Go and Senator Ronald de la Rosa as well as former police officials involved in the “war against drug.” This is akin to “beating to the draw” the Prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in whose chamber a similar case against the elder Duterte and company have been languishing for years.
What do the people make of these accusations, bad-mouthing and character assassination of Vice President Sara Duterte and the Duterte brand in general?
Will all these do her good or bad?
Next issue, I will argue that this single-minded attempt to destroy the Vice President will create a backlash, a backfire, that will make VP Sara Duterte and the Duterte brand indestructible well into 2028.
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