Are we entering a period in our history where the present “ruling coalition” of traditional and newbie politicians in the company of left-leaning party-list street parliamentarians and a contending party-less, amorphous yet an emerging populist people’s movement who are at each other’s throat, roughly four years too soon?
What is going to happen in those interval of four long years, that is between 2025 and 2028? Who will emerge triumphant?
The late Senate President Blas Ople calls this phenomenon an “interregnum.”
Google dictionary defines an “interregnum” as “the time during which a throne is vacant between two successive reigns or regimes.” Or, more simply: “An interregnum is a period between the end of one’s person’s time as a ruler or leader and the coming to power of the next ruler or leader.”
Thus, the period between the “snap election” of February 7, 1986 and Edsa People Power Revolution of February 22-25, 1986 has been characterized as a period or an “interregnum” that the Marcos family will never forget. The old ruling regime is replaced by new masters.
Moving on to contemporary times, it all started when Vice-President Sara Duterte tendered her resignation as Secretary of the Department of Education. All hell broke loose
It was the Makabayan Bloc which first raised the issue on the use of the confidential funds that were transferred to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) from the Office of the President during the 2023 budget hearing. ACT Teachers representative France Castro and Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas hollered that the fund transfer was illegal. They drew inspiration from former Senate President Franklin Drilon who had the same view.
Two impeachment complaints have so far been filed by Akbayan Partylist and the Makabayan Bloc against Vice-President Sara Duterte. She stands accused of twenty-seven “articles of impeachment” and five impeachable offenses, namely, culpable violation of the Constitution; bribery; graft and corruption; other high crimes and betrayal of public trust. If convicted Sara Duterte could be removed as the Vice-President and perpetually disqualified from holding any elective or appointive office.
President Marcos and his cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez are discretely behind the moves of the “ruling coalition” to impeach and remove from office Vice-President Sara Duterte this year or early next year. If the “ruling party” in power does not succeed this year or next year they can mount another try after a lapse of one year or in 2027.
President Bongbong Marcos’ tenure as president will expire on June 30, 2028 and a new Head of State will take over. If Vice President Sara Duterte is convicted and removed from office in 2024 or in 2025 or 2027, then Martin Romualdez, God forbid, becomes our next president. Presidential cousin Martin Romualdez will surely win in the 2025 congressional election in his district in Leyte and will be elected again as House Speaker of the 20th Congress.
There is a shorter route, however. The winds of change are blowing in the direction of a People Power Revolution III. It could be a reprise of the 1986 downfall of Marcos Sr.
All that VP Sara Duterte has to do is to fight back and survive all the malicious and personal attacks against her in the attempt to remove her from contention and then work hard to get elected president in 2028.
Will history repeat itself?
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