CARTOON BY: AARON PAUL C. CARIL
EDITORIAL
Impeachment: A prognosis of hopelessness
The impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte by the House of Representatives on Wednesday (February 5) did not come by surprise as it is one of the expected outcomes of the nasty disintegration of a political alliance, the UniTeam, that was formed with the sole purpose of catering to the individual member’s political ambitions. UniTeam’s battle cry then was “Pagkakaisa” and a couple of motherhood statements paying lip service to a vague platform of government.
When the “marriage made in heaven” fizzled out and became a story of betrayal and contempt, the allies of President Marcos staged a show of taking a higher moral ground by holding Vice President Duterte accountable for the alleged misuse of confidential funds, betrayal of public trust, and other serious allegations. President Marcos Jr. denied having a hand in the impeach move while his son was the first one who signed the complaint.
The Vice President’s impeachment sparked an uproar among her staunch allies and supporters, allegedly 32 million strong, while those who indorsed the impeachment complaint justified that the move is the voice of the Filipino people as the complaint was signed by more than 80% of the members of the House of Representatives.
While impeachment—the constitutional process to remove public officials from office—has long been viewed as a safeguard of democracy, the recent history of impeachment proceedings in various democracies around the world leaves many with a sense of disillusionment. Rather than serving its intended purpose, impeachment appears to have devolved into a tool of political brinkmanship and a reflection of deep societal fractures.
One of the core issues plaguing impeachment processes is their overt politicization. What was once envisioned as a grave and solemn undertaking has often turned into a spectacle dominated by partisan battles. Impeachment has become a strategic weapon wielded by political opponents to undermine and destabilize those in power. This shift from accountability to political maneuvering erodes public trust in the process and reduces its effectiveness as a check on executive power.
Let’s admit it. Although the ratings of Vice President Duterte declined in the latest surveys, she still remains the frontrunner in the 2028 presidential elections. Anybody aiming for the top post will definitely move heaven and earth and use all available artillery to pull down the Vice President’s popularity.
The impeachment brouhaha has overshadowed serious issues of governance such as the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury to fund unprogrammed appropriations and pet projects of the legislators, and the controversial 2025 national budget, both of these controversies have reached the Supreme Court. Let us not forget that the present administration has just declared a food security emergency, an admission of its failure to deliver the campaign promise of bringing down the price of rice to P20 per kilo.
Impeachment does nothing good to the country. Politicians should let the people decide on the fate of the elected public officials through the electoral process rather than pretending to be immaculate by demonizing one of their own, a vicious cycle where political turmoil begets more turmoil and fuels hopelessness.