The President’s dilemma
At the top of President Marcos’ mind at the moment must be three things: his plunging trust rating, the public works corruption investigation, and the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, but not necessarily in that order of importance. His handling of the corruption investigation is like a fulcrum that will affect his trust rating on one hand, and impact any move to impeach VP Sara on the other hand.
The President’s trust rating is affected by the results of the corruption investigation, because the whole country is enraged and scandalized by the magnitude of the amounts pocketed by senators, congresspersons, public work officials, and contractors, according to testimonies. All eyes and ears are waiting for the results of the investigations, particularly on the question of who will be sued and imprisoned. If the public sees that only individuals deemed “small fish” are made answerable, it will cause the President’s trust rating to plummet further. If the investigation results in the prosecution and imprisonment of current and former high-ranking officials, it will elevate the trust rating of the President.
At least three former Cabinet members are mentioned as being involved in the corruption scandal: former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. At least five current senators are also linked to the scandal: Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Bong Go, and Sen. Mark Villar. At least four current members of the House of Representatives are identified with the scandal: former Speaker Martin Romualdez, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, CWS party list Rep. Edwin Gardiola, and ACT-CIS party list Rep. Edvic Yap. At least three former senators and a congressperson are mentioned as being tainted with the scandal: former Sen. Bong Revilla, former Sen. Nancy Binay, former Sen. Grace Poe, and former Ako Bicol party list Rep. Zaldy Co.
Only Revilla and Co have been charged before the Sandiganbayan, with Revilla surrendering to the police just a few days ago, while Co has escaped abroad. Also charged, in addition to the two, are former mid-ranking officials of the DPWH and private contractors, the largest of whom is Sarah Discaya.
The corruption investigation will affect the impeachment of VP Sara because the senators and congresspersons who are under investigation, and who anticipate being charged under the Marcos administration, will be expected to help defeat the impeachment complaint. These lawmakers will calculate that the lifeline they extend to the VP’s political survival will be reciprocated with the dismissal of the charges against them if she wins the presidency in 2028. These legislators will be looking at how, under the Rodrigo Duterte administration, charges filed by the previous Noynoy Aquino administration against high-ranking politicians were either dismissed or granted bail, and then the cases were eventually dismissed.
The reality for the Marcos administration is that no amount of rosy economic results will be able to conceal or obscure any insincere or unsatisfactory action it takes on the corruption scandal. The citizenry is so enraged at the shamelessness and enormity, especially of the ghost flood control projects, that it wants nothing short of the arrest and prosecution of incumbent senators and congresspersons implicated in the scandal. But how many and who among those involved will be considered satisfactory by a furious citizenry?
Will the Marcos administration use the threat of prosecution as a sword of Damocles that will hang over the heads of incumbent senators to make them vote for VP Sara’s impeachment? Will the Marcos administration consider the impeachment of VP Sara as its most critical objective—trumping any concern on its trust rating and the corruption scandal—because it will ensure the Marcoses’ safety and survival beyond 2028?
Will the former Cabinet members under investigation use the threat of either truthfully or falsely exposing Malacañang’s involvement in the corruption scandal to prevent their prosecution? Will the ruling government drag its feet in the corruption investigation, hoping that the citizenry’s attention and fury will eventually wane and dissipate?
It’s a tale as old as time. A citizenry demands the exercise of principled, moral, and ethical idealpolitik. A sitting sovereign decides to wield pragmatic, power-based, and vested interest-driven realpolitik.
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