HERE WE go again! This country is really full of drama and sh_t – it must be culturally embedded as evidenced by all the telenovelas that thrived for years and years, and patronized by hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, but pathetically, the actors are more or less, the same: They who greedily hold power and never let go of, leaving us victims of their whims and caprices like the incompetence of elected and appointed officials; the never-ending dynastic political saga; the young corrupt leaders – it seems the youth is no longer shielded from the influence of political patronage, in fact, they learn it so young – what was that? so young and so corrupt?; ad infinitum, and in the end, they all squabble for power, like hyenas ready to kill each other for the carcass.
First, I am really wondering why Sara Duterte joined forces with Marcos. It was a puzzle to me back then since she could have easily won without Marcos. But that’s that.
And like all fragile relationships, the cracks showed early. But hey, what did you expect? And then when it finally crumbled, her arrogance got the better of her. Let us use nuance and say her rebellious nature overtook her rational mind. But being in governance and occupying the second highest post in the land is no longer the venue for arrogance, rebelliousness, and entitlement. If she must confront, holler, and bluster, she should have done it with a reformist mindset: That she will do everything in her power to reform a decayed system. That would have been a different attack. But that’s water under the bridge now. She is impeached today, February 5, 2025.
So, where does the country go from here? What is at stake here? Politically, it is to decapitate her and kill all her chances to run for president. What about her following? Will they just sit down on the sidelines as they watch this boxing bout? If you read all the posts and comments of the pro-Dutertes in Mindanao and Visayas, they are gunning for a fight. Shall we reach that scenario?
And who elected Marcos Jr. anyways? Isn’t it the very Filipino people who believed in their shallow “UniTeam?” Thus, are we saying, those who voted for Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte have also broken up, bitterly at that, and as such, are choking each other’s throats figuratively, in addition to washing dirty linen in public? What a story! Truly the likes of romantic relationships that break up. Sadly, it is a circus at the expense of good governance.
Historically, we had Estrada, followed by Corona, Sereno, then Sara.
Former president Joseph Estrada was removed from office but not through senate trial. If you followed the impeachment proceedings closely, you would remember that the senate trial ended abruptly in 2001 when eleven out of twenty-one senators (11-10) refused to open an envelope allegedly containing incriminating evidence. This led to the walkout of onlookers and prosecutors and set off the People Power II uprising that forced Estrada to step down.
In the case of former chief justice Renato Corona, he was convicted in 2012 and found guilty under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment for failing to fully disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth or SALN. Corona was removed as chief justice during the term of president Benigno Aquino III.
In the Maria Lourdes Sereno case, who had the distinction of being the first woman chief justice, she was removed by a vote of 8-6 with the court granting “the government’s petition to cancel Sereno’s appointment on the grounds that she failed to disclose information pertaining to her financial earnings when she was appointed in 2010.” Historically, it will go down as the first time the SC removed one of its own members. Sereno was ousted during the incumbency of president Rodrigo Duterte.
And now, this.
But really, what is this ruckus all about? Because the way I see it, the Filipino people forgot about what the Marcoses did during the Martial Law era, elected a namesake for a president, and then this chaos. Did we expect something different?
Come on, be realistic.
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The writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales every Saturday, 10 a.m. at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City. Momentarily, Woman Talk is taking a short break. Email at belindabelsales@gmail.com. X @ShilohRuthie./PN
