Who’s afraid of the impeachment?

The twists and turns leading to the convening of the Senate impeachment court that will try VP Sara Duterte were/are mind boggling. Even with the taking oath of the senator-judges, the maneuverings of the Duterte supporters/senators were still obstructing the start of the trial. All kinds of legal/constitutional opinions by experts have been aired from both sides, but majority of the legal/constitutional luminaries are of the opinion that the impeachment trial can proceed without delay.

There are groups that are afraid of the impeachment trial and for various reasons. The partisan Duterte loyalists/DDS who are beholden to them for financial/economic reasons, believe that the trial will damage VP Sara’s character and reputation and her potential as a candidate for the 2028 presidential election. That the evidences that will be presented will be so damaging and hard to refute, that it will sway public opinion. While they cannot say this officially or publicly, the people know and understand this reason, so VP Sara publicly announced she welcomes the impeachment trial and we can expect a “bloodbath”.

The other political allies of VP Duterte, who expect to ride on her 2028 candidacy, are hindering the impeachment trial to show personal loyalty for past favors. They aren’t blatantly derailing the trial as they are aware of the overwhelming public sentiment for the impeachment to proceed as soon as possible. The 88% of the Filipinos want it to go on, as for them it is public betrayal and cowardice for Sara to avoid the trial. Main and social media posts are maintaining the 9-to-1 preference to go on with the trial for truth, justice, and entertainment. These fence-sitting opportunistic politicians prefer not to make a decision for or against VP Duterte, or make their decisions later when there is a clear winner in the impeachment trial as it will affect their political future. They are the bane of Philippine politics.

There are however, strategic and tactical disadvantages to the delaying moves of the anti-impeachment groups. These legal and political maneuvers are fueling the frustrations and anger of the civil society who are now coalescing, consolidating, and getting stronger with every delay of the trial. The business groups like the Makati Business Club, the Financial Executives of the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, lawyers leagues, academe, universities, and cause-oriented group have all joined the clamor for the immediate start of the trial. The more delays of the trial, the more public sentiment will go against VP Sara. In fact, in my earlier column I posited, that not proceeding with the impeachment trial may be more damaging to her political ambitions, and to all her allies. The names of the senators that aborted the trial will be etched in minds of all the Filipino voters and in history.

While the BBM administration is officially “hands off” on the impeachment trial in deference to the Constitution and on the separation of powers mandate, the BBM administration is also on trial on its governance ability. They have to show adherence and support for accountability, and demonstrate to the Filipino people that truth and justice is for everyone, regardless of power, wealth, and influence. The competence and ability of the BBM team in the government will also be judged by the way this impeachment will start and end. The recent speech of BBM on accountability of government officials and his statement on the impeachment trial continuing to the 20th Senate, are pregnant with implications.

There is a movie called “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” which is a complicated movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, which I still cannot fully understand. The main theme is that people avoid life’s realities and create their own reality. This is the problem of politicians who are surrounded by cheering squad followers.