Try
Calling the charges “baseless” does not make them disappear. Declaring them “political” does not answer them… Until the vice president confronts the allegations directly and fully, the issue will not fade into politics. It will remain a matter of responsibility left unresolved.
In the end, the question is not merely whether Sara Duterte can run in 2028. It is whether the country is prepared to confront the tension between political power and legal accountability, and what it means when the two collide long before a single vote is cast.
Accountability remains essential. Allegations of abuse of power or misuse of public funds must be investigated, regardless of who is involved. But when political conflict overshadows governance, the public interest suffers.
When Chinese vessels continue to challenge Philippine maritime rights, block resupply missions, and assert claims rejected by international law, easing entry requirements risks being read not as confidence but concession.
In cases of this scale, attempts to muddy the record are not incidental. They are a predictable response by those with the most to lose. Confusion over affidavits, timelines and sworn statements can slow investigations, weaken cases and erode public confidence long before any issue reaches a courtroom.
Ultimately, the true test will lie not in promises or procedures, but in implementation. How transparently the realigned funds are spent, and whether anti-corruption measures are enforced without fear or favor, will determine whether 2026 marks a break from the past, or merely another year haunted by ghost projects.
The numbers and assurances alone do not sustain credibility. What the public now demands is consistency, urgency and unmistakable political will. Without them, the promise of accountability risks dissolving into yet another anticlimax, another corruption scandal that begins with fire and ends in smoke.
If the 2026 budget is truly pork-free, then lawmakers should finally be liberated to do what the Constitution mandates: legislate.
Restoring its funding is the right step, but it must also serve as a warning. Disaster preparedness cannot be switched on only after lives are lost and communities destroyed. It is a moral obligation of governance.
When viewed together, the legal stalling at The Hague and the coordinated political pressure at home reveal a strategy designed not only to shield the former president from accountability. The Duterte camp appears to be buying time as part of a broader gambit aimed at weakening the Marcos administration and clearing space for a Sara Duterte takeover before the ICC can weigh the evidence against her father.
