Vice President Sara Duterte’s announcement that she will run for the presidency in 2028 has significantly changed the country’s political landscape. It’s a move that will not be a mere campaign announcement but will be followed by institutional machinations, strategic alliances, and calculated reprisals. The country must be ready for the turbulence that will surely follow when ambition meets fear.
Duterte’s announcement will surely put the sponsors of the impeachment charges against her in a hurry to wrap up the case. Once a sitting or a former public official makes a move for the presidency, the impeachment court will no longer be guided by the truth but by the need to speedily dispose of the case, not to determine the truth, but to dispose of a formidable opponent before the voting public makes a decision. Such haste will surely transform what was once a noble institution into a partisan tool.
A series of realignments in Philippine politics will surely follow Duterte’s announcement. Survival will be the name of the game. Those in the legislature and the local politics will surely begin to calculate their next moves, to determine whether association with Duterte will be a blessing or a curse in the future. Parties will surely be broken, and alliances will be formed. Those who will surely be affected by the strong electoral currents that Duterte’s announcement will create will begin to quietly realign themselves to avoid being left out in the cold.
Her entrance has also unnerved her opponents, especially those on the left and those in the government who are currently embroiled in graft and corruption charges and see a Duterte presidency as a death knell. For them, it means stricter enforcement of the law, a return to the hardline stance, or renewed scrutiny of the status quo. Desperation can indeed drive people to be more aggressive. Expect more vitriolic attacks on her character, as well as more rallies and demonstrations aimed at discrediting her. The die-hard opponents will use any controversy, any technicality, to portray her candidacy as a threat to the very fabric of society.
To the ranks of Duterte’s supporters, however, the news is a sign that she is declaring her inevitability from the very start. It boosts morale and cements the support base, which will likely view any congressional or senatorial inquiry as persecution. This will not be lost on the members of the House and Senate. Those aware of the voting power of Duterte’s support base may be more circumspect in their actions, lest they be accused of harassment. The best course of action for all parties is to allow the constitutional process to take its natural course, without undue haste or fanfare, and to allow the electorate to judge in 2028.
