Ferdinand Marcos Jr., already showered with an impressive amount of blessings in life, has another blessing of sorts in his presidency: his vice president.
Sara Duterte and her relatives are galvanizing public support, even if grudging, for Marcos.
We saw a similar phenomenon during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, when people including former president Corazon Aquino staged mass protests and urged GMA to resign amid the “Hello, Garci” cheating scandal in the 2004 presidential race.
The thought that GMA’s vice president Noli de Castro would automatically replace her in case she resigned spooked several key sectors. This fear partly helped GMA hold on to the presidency, keeping her in power for all of nine years – the longest in Philippine history after Ferdinand Marcos the elder’s 20-year rule.
It must be emphasized that De Castro openly rejected the calls for him to take over as president.
GMA was not always hounded by poll cheating and corruption scandals. When she was the vice president under Joseph Estrada, she was seen as the more competent and credible leader. This perception helped fuel people power II in 2001, which kicked out Erap midway through his presidency.
Pinoys, of course, soon learned the meaning of being careful what you wish for, as corruption scandal after corruption scandal hounded destiny’s child (GMA, not Beyonce) almost from Day One of her presidency.
These days, who remembers the anniversary of EDSA Dos, or worse, the tragicomedy that was EDSA Tres?
* * *
Today, Vice President Sara Duterte is publicly regretting her support for the presidential bid of Bongbong Marcos in 2022. The VP has apologized to the dwindling ranks of Duterte supporters for asking them to vote for BBM.
The UniTeam’s landslide win, however, was a two-way street, the result of the alliance of convenience between the Solid North and the Dutertes’ southern stronghold.
Perhaps someone in the Marcos camp should also come out openly to express regret over BBM’s selection of Inday Sara as his running mate.
If the Marites grapevine is correct, the erstwhile BFFs of the UniTeam are trying to kick each other out of government to change the power structure.
There must be millions of Filipinos who agree that the country deserves someone better than the only son and namesake of dictator Ferdinand Marcos as president.
But because the loudest calls for BBM’s replacement are being aired by the supporters of the Dutertes and wanted pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the calls are seen mainly to be self-serving – a quick path for the constitutional successor, who else but VP-cum-children’s book author Sara, to become president.
On the other hand, the Dutertes are not the only ones who have gotten wind of persistent rumors that moves are afoot for the VP’s impeachment by the House of Representatives led by her nemesis the tambaloslos.
When VP Sara disclosed the alleged impeachment plot, several congressmen strongly denied it. But then House members also denied the signature campaign for a people’s initiative for Charter change.
Impeachment is a political process. If the House super majority wants the VP impeached, it will succeed, possibly as swiftly as the railroading of the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund.
But it is the Senate that tries an impeached official, and nearly all the senators are unpredictable, independent republics. The VP could survive, and emerge stronger.
* * *
As in previous moves for leadership changes, people will ask who might replace Sara as VP in case impeachment leads to her ouster.
Under the Constitution, the president can nominate a new VP from among the members of Congress, to be approved by the two chambers, voting separately. GMA, when she assumed power following EDSA Dos, picked then senator Teofisto Guingona to be her VP.
In the current situation, only one person comes to mind in case BBM is given a free hand to pick a new VP: who else but his favorite cousin and presumptive anointed successor, Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The Speaker is an amiable person, but he is seen to be the dirty tricks operator of BBM. Romualdez is also the Mar Roxas of this administration – too rich, too remote and non-masa, languishing in the surveys for 2028 “presidentiables.”
Romualdez’s possible path to succeed BBM and perpetuate the dynasty, by shifting to a parliamentary system via Cha-cha, has been scuttled. What is Plan B?
The Dutertes believe it is through the impeachment of VP Sara.
There are Filipinos who would be happy if the two top officials succeeded in ousting each other. But again, who might replace them?
* * *
At yesterday’s House hearing on the 2025 budget proposal for the Office of the Vice President, VP Sara swatted away all protocol rules as if she was still the spoiled daughter of the president, and raised the supposed impeachment plot against her.
The hearing was held on the same day that the second quarter OCTA survey results were released, showing BBM’s trust ratings rising and the VP’s falling, with the President rating higher than the VP for the first time.
If VP Sara’s game plan for the budget hearing was that the best defense is a good offense, it didn’t succeed. It was painful watching the VP in her bratty worst, answering questions about the budget with non-sequiturs, and showing zero respect for committee on appropriations chair Stella Quimbo.
Perhaps all the frustrations over the loss of the VP’s perks – the P650 million in confidential funds, her Cabinet portfolio and seat in the anti-communist task force, and likely rejection even of the P10 million for her children’s book project – had all boiled over.
In going ballistic, the VP came off unhinged.
Even folks who had no love lost for Quimbo and several of the lawmakers at the hearing found themselves cheering for the House members.
If the VP keeps this up, by the time the 2028 elections roll around, her ratings could be below zero like her staunch supporter GMA in the twilight of the Arroyo presidency.
Impeaching VP Sara won’t even be necessary.