In a country where elections are supposed to be sacred expressions of the people’s will, the move to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte reeks not of justice but of political strategy. In the May 9, 2022 vice-presidential election, she received 32,208,417 votes—the highest number ever recorded by any candidate in a single-winner nationwide Philippine election.
That staggering mandate, backed by over 61% of the electorate, instantly made her the most formidable contender for the presidency in 2028. And that is precisely why some political forces want her out—not because she has committed a grave offense, but because she stands in the way of their chosen candidate.
Let’s be clear: the Constitution outlines specific, serious grounds for impeachment—culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and graft and corruption. But in Sara Duterte’s case, no such grave offense has been proven.
What’s being marshaled instead is political theater—designed to inflame headlines, trigger public doubt, and damage her standing early in the electoral cycle. If this pattern takes root, it sends a chilling message: popularity and electoral strength may make you more likely, not less, to be punished.
It is no coincidence that this impeachment push is emerging from circles aligned with other presidential hopefuls. The numbers don’t lie. In 2022, Sara Duterte not only won—she crushed her closest rivals, Francis Pangilinan and Tito Sotto, with the largest vote count in Philippine history. Rather than risk an electoral loss in 2028, her rivals seem more inclined to remove her from contention altogether, using Congress as a political sledgehammer.
Worse, those orchestrating this political takedown show an utter contempt for the 32 million Filipinos who voted her into office. In attempting to unseat her through questionable legal means, they are also invalidating the voices of a massive democratic majority. But in doing so, they have awakened a much stronger political force.
What began as support has become solidarity—what was once a landslide is now a movement. Because of this ongoing political persecution, Sara Duterte is now stronger politically than she was in 2022. Her base has deepened, widened, and hardened in response to what they rightfully perceive as an unjust attack.
Even more telling is the Marcos Jr. administration’s quiet accommodation of the International Criminal Court’s pursuit of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Though couched in the language of international cooperation and rule of law, this move is part of the same sinister campaign to besmirch the Duterte name and erode its influence.
The real target is not the past but the future: Sara Duterte and the 2028 presidential elections. By tarnishing her family’s legacy and entangling it in global legal controversies, this group hopes to discredit her by association and drain support from the most powerful political brand in recent Philippine memory.
The dangers of this trend are far-reaching. If every strong candidate becomes a target for legal annihilation, what remains of our democratic processes? The impeachment mechanism, meant to safeguard the Republic, is now at risk of being reduced to a partisan trapdoor, springing open under anyone deemed inconvenient to the ruling elite or the ambitions of power blocs. This is not a defense of Sara Duterte alone but of fair play, due process, and institutional restraint.
In the end, let the people decide. Let 2028 be a true contest of visions, not a battlefield cleared by procedural sabotage. We must not allow the impeachment process to be weaponized into a preemptive strike against electoral competition.
Democracy cannot thrive in a climate where popular leaders are politically lynched before the starting whistle. To remove a candidate through impeachment not for wrongdoing, but for being too electable, is a betrayal not just of that person, but of the millions who put their trust in the ballot.
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