“Like in a court of law, the prosecutors will try to show that indeed the VP committed culpable violations of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust”
IT IS now definite the Senate will try the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte after the July 21 State of the Nation Address or SONA of President Marcos Jr., his fourth since he took his oath as president in 2022.
Santa Banana, from the looks of it, the new Senate composed largely of those running under the Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas, BBM’s administration candidates, will try to decide the impeachment case of Sara!
My gulay, as we all know, while the Senate will try the Vice President according to the Rules of Court, the final decision on whether or not to convict the VP will still be a political decision.
We all saw this when former President Erap Estrada was convicted by the Senate for graft and corruption constituting plunder.
But, the succeeding President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, pardoned him. We all saw this when the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Renato Corona, was convicted by the majority of the Senate for not declaring his dollar accounts in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities!
Yes, like in a court of law, the prosecutors will try to show that indeed the VP committed culpable violations of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
In accordance with the impeachment cases of the VP, as submitted to the Senate by the House of Representatives, the prosecution will also try to prove that when Sara, the daughter of the former President, Rodrigo Duterte, was then Davao City Vice Mayor when the “Death Squad” operated in that city under her father, had participated in all the killings or was aware of them.
On the part of the defense, Sara’s lawyers will try to convince the Senate that the VP is not what the prosecution will picture her to be.
Santa Banana, to me as a lawyer, the most damaging articles of the impeachment case of the VP is the alleged misuse of over 200 million pesos of confidential funds allocated to the office of the Vice President when she was former secretary of education as the findings of the Philippine Statistics Authority showed millions of pesos of confidential funds went to fictitious people who had no birth certificates, marriage certificates or even death certificates.
Just how will the VP’s lawyers explain to the Senate to disprove the VP’s alleged misuse of her confidential funds to me will be the key to the conviction or non-conviction of Sara.
As I said from the start, while the Senate trial will follow the Rules of Court, the final decision will still be political, decided by no less than 16 of the newly elected senators and incumbent senators voting in accordance with their political beliefs and inclinations.
It appears BBM’s Alyansa will dominate the election of the winning candidates of the Senate as shown by poll surveys.
The following members of the Alyansa as shown in poll surveys to most likely win are the following, not necessarily in this order: Tito Sotto, Bong Go, the two Tulfo brothers Irwin and Ben, Imee Marcos, Bong Revilla, Willie Revillame, Ping Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Abby Binay, Camille Villar, Bato dela Rosa, Benhur Abalos, Pia Cayetano. Lito Lapid and Francis Tolentino.
From where I sit as a columnist, counting the incumbent Senators, it looks like the odds are against the VP because, as I said, the decision for or against Sara, will be political.
Meanwhile the National Bureau of Investigation has decided to sue Sara for grave threats and inciting to sedition as a result of her statement that if she were to be killed, she has already commissioned somebody to assassinate the President, First Lady and Speaker Martin Romualdez. The Department of Justice is now evaluating the evidence against the VP for her conviction or not.
All efforts are now seen to distract the public from the trial of the VP, like all the cases of graft and corruption in connection with the General Appropriations Act of 2025 against Speaker Romualdez and other leaders of the House of Representatives.
But, will that change the political decision of the Senate? Most likely, it will not.
So, that’s it. From where I sit, the Senate will convict the VP. Santa Banana, Sara may as well forget the presidential elections for 2028. Well, as I often say, that’s how the cookie crumbles.