Marcos slams Du30, but bets avoid ‘VP trial’ talk
- Marcos leads the proclamation rally of his 12 administration-backed senatorial candidates on his home turf.
- “Not one of them” was tainted by the drug war. Or stole public money. Or cheered China. Thus did President Marcos extol his senatorial slate, who all avoided talking about the impeachment case of VP Sara Duterte.
- The result of the May 12 senatorial race is crucial for the VP because it will determine the composition of the Senate impeachment court that is expected to hear the complaints endorsed last week by the more than 200 House members vs. Duterte.
LAOAG CITY—As the 12 administration-backed senatorial candidates in the May elections kicked off their campaign in President Marcos’ hometown turf here, they steered clear of one of the hottest issues of the midterm polls—the impending trial of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.
However, the Chief Executive, addressing the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas proclamation rally at the packed Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena, took up the cudgels for them and wasted no time in attacking the Vice President’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, as well as some of the candidates of his predecessor’s faction of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
He said not one of the administration candidates had blood on their hands for their role in Duterte’s ruthless war on drugs during his term.
“None of them conspired in pocketing public funds by taking advantage of the pandemic crisis while letting our countrymen get sick and die,” the President noted in his pointed speech.
“None of them cheered for China when our Coast Guard is hit with water cannon and when our fishermen are blocked (by Chinese ships),” he added in Filipino.
Without naming detained cult leader and PDP-Laban senatorial candidate Apollo Quiboloy, the President said: “None of them acted as sacristans of a false prophet who is facing charges for assaulting our youth and women.”
Presidential endorsement
The result of the May 12 senatorial race is crucial for the Vice President because it will determine the composition of the Senate impeachment court that is expected to hear the complaints endorsed last week by the more than 200 House members against the country’s second highest official.
In a news briefing on Tuesday, eight of the 12 senatorial candidates of the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas vowed to pursue their own legislative agenda and advocacies to help realize the President’s campaign promise of a better Philippines.
“The goal of the Alyansa is to make laws that would improve our economy, provide sustainable livelihood programs and make our health programs better,” said incumbent ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo, the perennial front-runner in all preelection surveys.
Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who is seeking a return to Congress after his failed vice presidential bid in 2022, said Mr. Marcos’ commitment to attend at least 21 proclamation rallies nationwide would bolster their chances of making it to the winning circle.
“The President’s endorsement is very critical,” said the 76-year-old Sotto, who is eyeing an elective post for the eighth time since 1988.
Former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who had exposed various irregularities during his three previous six-year terms as senator, said he would continue his anticorruption advocacy if given another opportunity to serve in the Senate.
Premature issue
But Mr. Marcos’ chosen candidates refused to comment on the efforts of the House of Representatives to remove Duterte from office for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption and betrayal of public trust.
Outgoing Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, a lawyer, said it would be “premature” for them to address the issue since they may become members of the Senate impeachment court if they win the senatorial race.
As judges, she noted that the senators should be “impartial” regardless of their political affiliation.
“First of all, we should win first,” said Binay, eliciting chuckles from her fellow candidates.
Sotto disagreed that the Vice President’s impeachment should be an election issue as he pointed out that it would be better to discuss the rules that the Senate impeachment court must adopt.
According to him, there are “two conflicting rules” that the senators should address first before tackling the impeachment complaint filed by 215 House members against Duterte.
During the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011, the comedian-turned-lawmaker noted that the Senate had agreed that the proceedings “shall continue… until a final judgment is rendered.”
“Whether or not the Congress or the Senate adjourns (its session), the impeachment trial must continue. That’s the content of our rules then,” Sotto said.
However, he said the Senate’s existing rules as a legislative body stated that “all matters and proceedings shall terminate upon expiration of Congress.”
“On June 30, the 19th Congress will expire. So that’s conflicting. What happens now? [I’m very sure] somebody will take this to court because this is a justiciable issue,” he warned.
Legislative majority
“Being a justiciable issue, the Supreme Court may take this up (and decide) whether the (next Congress) may continue (Duterte’s impeachment trial) or not. The problem is if the Supreme Court decides that the trial should not continue, then all the efforts of the current Senate would be wasted,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an election issue,” he maintained.
For political analyst and former presidential adviser Ronald Llamas, the biggest battle in the May elections will be for 12 spots in the 24-seat Senate, a chamber packed with political heavyweights and wielding outsized influence.
For Mr. Marcos, the elections are widely seen as a referendum on his leadership as he seeks to secure a legislative majority to push forward his administration’s agenda.
But the stakes are equally high for Duterte as the election for the upper house will effectively decide half of the jurors in the Senate impeachment trial.
For Duterte to be removed, at least 16 senators, or two-thirds of members, must vote to convict her.
A survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia last month showed nine of the President’s senatorial candidates leading the race, but two Duterte loyalists were in the top 12, keeping the Vice President’s camp in contention.
Duterte led opinion polls last year on preferred candidates for the next presidency, so her removal, according to Llamas, could be a boon for Marcos’ chances of deciding his successor.
Varying positions
“If you’re able to convict Sara … in a way, you level the playing field,” he said. “There’s no longer any dominant candidate.”
Other analysts also expect the impeachment trial to take the center stage and add a little flavor to this year’s elections.
Jean Encinas-Franco, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, on Tuesday said she expected the President’s candidates to “play safe” in voicing their stance on Duterte’s impeachment.
“This is especially because for the Senate seats, Anything that will affect your position in the surveys will matter, so they will definitely be very careful,” she said.
She added that other candidates may have to “tone down” their positions on the impeachment should they campaign in Mindanao, the bailiwick of the Dutertes.
For the opposition candidates under the Makabayan coalition, Franco said it would be best for them to stick with their current positions on Duterte’s impeachment.
“They have been very vocal and the people already know what their positions are, so, I’m not sure if they can [tone it down] without looking like insincere candidates,” Franco said.
This is also applicable to the tandem of former Senators Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, she added.
“They came out with their statements in their social media pages. So, I think they already know that the people expect them to really be vocal for impeaching and trying Sara Duterte,” she said.
Should the opposition candidates decide to “waver” on their positions about the impeachment, Franco warned that this may even alienate their “sure voters.”
Maria Ela Atienza, also a UP professor of political science, agreed that opposition candidates would definitely be vocal about the conviction of the Vice President.
However, she said the midterm elections could also serve as an opportunity for the Vice President to test her popularity and even viability as a presidential candidate for 2028. —WITH REPORTS FROM KATHLEEN DE VILLA AND REUTERS
