OPINION | Sara’s gambit

February 13, 2025 , 02:30 PM

By Manny Mogato

(February 13, 2025) — Defiant and confident, Vice President Sara Duterte said she would fight the impeachment complaint once the trial starts in the Senate.

In a news conference, Duterte said a battery of lawyers began preparing for her defense as far back as November before the three impeachment complaints were even filed.

She was already expecting her political foes to oust her from her position and prevent her from seeking the presidency in 2028.

However, she was assured of strong support from some senators allied with her and her father, the former president.

If the trial would begin and end before the May 2025 elections, Duterte believed she had required nine votes to block her removal from office.

She would count on support from allies, like Robin Padilla, Bong Go, Bato dela Rosa, and the president’s sister, Imee Marcos.

Cynthia Villar, Alan Peter Cayetano, Joe Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Sherwin Gatchalian could vote in her favor.

Only minority senators Koko Pimentel and Risa Hontiveros are sure to vote to remove her from office. Pimentel has also called on his colleagues to start the impeachment trial based on the 1987 Constitution which mandated the Upper House to begin trial immediately.

However, Senate President Francis Escudero said the impeachment trial could start after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

The outcome of the midterm elections could change Sara’s political fortunes. Some of her allies would not be able to return to their seats.

Based on pre-election surveys, only Bong Go would win. Bato dela Rosa and Imee Marcos were unsure as they were always in the tail end of the winning circle.

The president’s candidates are expected to dominate the midterm elections with eight to nine getting elected. Incumbent senator Francis Tolentino, Congresswoman Camille Villar, and former interior secretary Benhur Abalos are in danger of losing.

Broadcaster Ben Tulfo, an independent candidate; and popular game show host Willie Revillame, are likely to win in the elections.

With fewer pro-Duterte senators returning to the 20th Congress, Sara would be risking a lot if she is determined to go through a bruising impeachment trial.

The battery of prosecutors from the lower house would surely expose Duterte’s massive corruption and abuses.

Sara’s hundreds of millions of unaccounted Confidential and Intelligence Funds (CIF) would just be the tip of the iceberg as the congressmen would compel the Anti-Money Laundering Council to open the Duterte family’s bank accounts.

As early as 2016, former senator Antonio Trillanes revealed billions of pesos deposited in the Bank of Philippine Islands in Pasig, proceeds from illegal transactions remitted by known Chinese druglords in Davao City.

Even if the money had been taken out and transferred elsewhere, a paper trail would be left in the banks.

When she resigned from the Department of Education, Duterte also also left behind billions of pesos in disallowed funds, according to a Commission on Audit (COA) report.

It showed the vice president is poor in handling government funds, mismanaging the precious government resources.

That could shatter the myth the Dutertes have built for a long time – they were a poor, provincial family who lived a simple life.

The former president campaigned on anti-drugs and anti-corruption, but the impeachment trial could show how corrupt he and his daughter were while in power.

The impeachment trial could sully the Duterte family’s untarnished reputation in the public eyes, making it difficult for Sara to win the elections in 2028.

The public is now seeing how untrustworthy Sara is when she denied she threatened to assassinate the president, the first lady, and the speaker of the House of Representatives.

How could she deny it when videos of an angry Sara were all over social media when she said she had talked with an assassin to make sure Marcos, his wife, and cousin would be killed if something happened to her? She said she was not making a joke when she made the threats.

If she could lie straight to the public, how could she be trusted as a leader?

Sara Duterte is damaged goods. She should be held accountable for her past misdeeds. She still thinks the Dutertes have an enormous following among ordinary Filipinos who were enamored by her father’s unorthodox politics. She believes she was invincible.

The risks are too high for Sara that she might take an easy way out. She could resign from her position and concentrate on the next three years to win the presidency.

In a news conference two days after an impeachment complaint was sent to the Senate, Sara said “God save the Philippines.”

Sara must save herself first. Should she resign otherwise, she should kiss her political ambitions goodbye.

The views expressed by the columnist do not necessarily reflect that of the media organization.

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.