Vice President Sara Duterte’s declaration of her readiness to assume the presidency is actually a desperate ploy to save herself. Seventy days from now (Nov. 27), she will again be a subject for impeachment.
Without Chiz Escudero as Senate president to manipulate the process in her favor and the possible absence of Sen. Ronaldo Dela Rosa (who is expected to be in detention at The Hague by then), it is the position of the vice president that is likely to be vacated soon, not the presidency.
Although the vice president is not immune from suit, the Constitution provides that the vice president, like the president, the members of the Supreme Court, the members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman, “may be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust.”
If Duterte is ousted as vice president by impeachment, that would spell the end of her political career because she would be disqualified from holding any office in the country. She would be open to charges, some of them enumerated in the Articles of Impeachment that the House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate in February.
To recall, those include misuse and malversation of public funds relating to the confidential funds for both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education; allegations that she plotted to murder or assassinate the incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and now resigned House speaker Martin Romualdez; accusations of amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
The Supreme Court, in a much-criticized July 5 decision, declared the Feb. 5 Articles of Impeachment “unconstitutional” and covered by the one- year ban.
The High Court statement underscored that it was “not absolving Vice President Duterte from any of the charges against her. But any subsequent impeachment complaint may only be filed starting February 6, 2026.”
That’s a little over two months from today. Time flies fast. That’s the reason why Duterte and her supporters are panicking and again resorting to short cuts. Her supporters from among the retired military and police officers have been enticing, without success, the military leadership to withdraw support from Marcos.
They have shamelessly tried to ride on the public outrage over massive corruption in the government infrastructure funds without thinking that many of those involved are identified with the Dutertes. Prominent among them are Escudero, Sara’s protector in the Senate; Sen. Bong Go; and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte..
They were reportedly spurned when they tried to join the Iglesia Ni Cristo rally in Rizal Park (cut short to two days from the originally planned three days) with their “Marcos Resign placards. “
Last Tuesday, feeding on the narrative her camp has been vigorously spreading the past weeks, a reporter asked her during a home town press conference how prepared she was about the possibility of taking over the presidency, Duterte said, “There is no question about my readiness. I presented myself to you when I was a candidate for vice president with the understanding that I am the first in line in succession.”
“Pinresenta ko sa inyo, tumakbo ako bilang vice president. Alam ko na first in line ako sa succession. Wala nang tanong dun kung ano ang gagawin ko. ‘Yun ang mandate sa akin ng Constitution, at alam ko ‘yun noong ako ay tumakbo at binoto niyo ako as vice president knowing that I am the first in line.”
Palace Spokesperson Claire Castro pointed out the inappropriateness of Duterte’s statement: “‘Unang-una po, ang bise presidente, hindi acceptable, it is not acceptable for a vice president to anticipate the resignation of the president – presidente na pinagsisigawan nilang bumaba sa puwesto,” she said, adding that it is “destabilizing.”
She added: ”This is definitely a form of political destabilization; pinapahina niya ang public confidence ng tao sa administrasyon. And those words contribute to the climate of uncertainty and crisis. Kung handa siya, makikita po natin, nag-anticipate siya na mawawala ang pangulo—iyan po ang balak nila, iyan po ang nasa isip nila, at iyan po ang ginagawa nila ngayon.”
Castro asked a question that answered why the public are not responsive to calls for Marcos to step down: “Itanong din natin sa taumbayan: Handa na po ba kayo sa mas marami pang Mary Grace Piattos?”
That would be jumping from the frying pan to the fire. And that actually makes Marcos lucky that his vice president is Sara Duterte.
The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of VERA Files.
