Sara's a Losing Bet in the Game against the House of Cards

Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, who has served as Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) from June 30, 2022, to July 19, 2024, has recently found herself in the national spotlight for numerous reasons. Her tenure has been marked by controversies that reveal a troubling pattern of incompetence. As per the Commission on Audit (COA) report, these include mismanagement in executing DepEd programs, poor judgment in handling and justifying confidential funds in budget deliberations in the House, and entitlement in dismissing accountability and public scrutiny, notably labeling critics as “enemies of peace”.

For years, budgets for both the Office of the Vice President and DepEd have passed through Congress with minimal resistance, except from the valiant solons of the Makabayan Bloc. Even when objections are raised, they are swiftly silenced, as seen when Kabataan Partylist Representative Raoul Manuel’s microphone is cut off mid-speech. Such tactics exhibit how tightly the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, has been aligned with Duterte and her allies.

Today, however, things are different. The House has begun scrutinizing the younger Duterte with a new, sharp lens—a dramatic shift from the deference they have shown her and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Last year, only the Makabayan Bloc dared to question the ₱125 million in confidential funds allocated to DepEd. Most members of the Appropriations Committee, notably Congresswoman Stella Quimbo of Marikina’s 2nd District, rush to defend it. 

Facing mounting criticism and being unable to justify her spending, Duterte withdraws her request for a ₱150 million confidential budget for 2024. Rather than offer a mea culpa, she lashes out, calling those who oppose her "enemies of peace.” This authoritarian rhetoric only underscored her belief that public funds should be hers to use without question or oversight, a belief more suited to a dictator than a public servant.

The real bombshell came with the Commission on Audit's (COA) report, revealing that Duterte had blown through the entire ₱125 million confidential budget in just 11 days—not the 19 days initially reported. This reckless expenditure has sparked widespread outrage and calls for impeachment.

The unraveling of Duterte’s political power is tied directly to her uneasy alliance with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., After their joint election victory, Sara Duterte made an immediate grab for more power, expressing her desire to lead the Department of National Defense. When this request is denied, she is handed DepEd, the department with the largest budget. 

It has all been smooth and easy for the executive heads during their “honeymoon” period until the lines are drawn. 

The House has a history of aligning itself with the prevailing political winds. It is historically the Malacañang Palace that points which way the wind blows. 

In May 2023, Duterte's closest ally, former President and Pampanga’s 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is unceremoniously stripped of her position as Senior Deputy Speaker. Another Duterte ally, Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab, is similarly removed from his post. The writing is on the wall: Duterte’s political fortunes are in decline.

Sara Duterte responded by resigning from the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, where she has served as its chairperson. 

The “House cleaning” comes after her father launches attacks against the House leadership, especially House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, a close cousin of Bongbong Marcos. The elder Duterte’s media tirades through Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), a network controlled by the notorious Apollo Quiboloy, do nothing but expose the desperation of a political family losing its grip on power. 

Quiboloy, a fugitive wanted by both the United States and Philippine governments for a litany of crimes, remains a close friend and ally of the Dutertes. That Sara Duterte would double down on her support for Quiboloy, even as he evades justice, speaks volumes about her values. 

On September 1, she publicly reaffirms her support for Quiboloy and his followers. She even apologizes for endorsing Bongbong Marcos in the 2022 elections. When asked about the whereabouts of the fugitive, she replies that “he’s in heaven“ and believes that he’s no longer in Davao City.

Apollo Quiboloy has been arrested as per the announcement of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos and Senator Risa Hontiveros on their respective social media accounts, moments as of this writing.

As if this isn’t enough drama, public spats between First Lady Liza Marcos and Vice President Duterte, and between President Marcos Jr. and Rodrigo Duterte, have played out in front of the media. However, these feuds, while sensational, fall short of impeachment-level significance. These are a distraction from what truly matters: the inability of Sara Duterte to perform her duties aptly and ethically.

Recent tensions between the Vice President and members of the Appropriations Committee, led by Congresswoman Quimbo, escalated into a series of insults. 

Just a week earlier, a heated exchange took place between the Vice President and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros. The senator poses a straightforward question only to receive a long, dramatic response from Duterte.

Representative France Castro of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Partylist, one of the earliest to challenge Duterte's confidential budget, has remained steadfast in holding the Vice President accountable. For this, Duterte constantly personalizes her responses against her. 

None of the 17 members of the Appropriations Committee receives satisfactory answers to their questions. Duterte repeatedly states her desire to forgo the opportunity to defend the budget in a question-and-answer format, displaying a clear disinterest in accountability.

The committee, however, does not stop scrutinizing the budget and Duterte’s mismanagement.

Under Duterte’s leadership, DepEd has met only a fraction of its goals: constructing a mere 192 of the planned 6,379 new classrooms, repairing just 208 of the intended 7,550, and building a paltry three of 88 proposed last-mile schools. COA’s findings of underutilized resources and an inexplicable 143% efficiency rate for confidential funds further highlight the mismanagement and lack of accountability that has defined her tenure.

Keep in mind that the midterm elections are around the corner, a reality that has not escaped Duterte. This moment also serves as a testing ground for her apparent ambitions in the 2028 Presidential Elections where recent surveys have placed her as a frontrunner. Yet, she faces a formidable obstacle in Speaker Romualdez, and possibly Senator Risa Hontiveros, who are expected to oppose her candidacy. 

The constitutionality of Duterte's actions is now in the hands of the Supreme Court. However, some House members have already hinted at the possibility of impeachment. 

Duterte, a House powerbroker, once allied with then-Governor Imee Marcos and Rep. Macapagal-Arroyo to remove Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in 2018. Such a move is colloquially known as “Laglag Panty Alvarez”.

But the balance of power has shifted. Things have changed. Positions have swapped. It is different now.

Back then, her father’s death threats against Congress are applauded by its members. Today, the House has magically discovered its courage to advocate for drug war victims.

Back then, Sara could easily remove a House Speaker. Now, the House Speaker can easily take her out.

With the Marcos-aligned supermajority in the House, an impeachment seems increasingly plausible. The Senate, however, poses a different challenge. Sixteen votes are needed to impeach, and while Duterte still has a few loyalists in her corner, the majority of senators are left weighing their options—many of them reelectionists with an eye on the 2025 polls.

As we witness this political drama unfold, let us not lose sight of what truly matters: holding our public officials accountable no matter their family name or political affiliation. For too long, the Dutertes have thrived on impunity, believing they are above the law and the people they purport to serve. 

Gone are the days when decency and integrity were the norm since the elder Duterte held a national post. The weaponization of our laws has been used by Sara and her father against critics, turning to red-tagging when cornered. They have used police and soldiers of our country as a private militia resulting in the deaths of thousands and eventual human rights abuses, violations of rights to expression, and suppression of the press. 

We no longer need to be subjected to such circumstances. 

For now, the time has come for reckoning. To the members of the House: the nation is watching. You must choose—will you stand for accountability and the rule of law, or will you allow yet another Duterte to escape unscathed? 

Beyond this drama—a drama that even Shakespeare would have envied—we want results.

To the members of the House, it’s time to reveal your cards: what is your next move?