HOUSE Deputy Minority Leader Antonio L. Tinio of ACT Teachers Party-list said Monday that Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s appointment as the new president of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) signals the Duterte family preparing a backup plan for the 2028 elections should Vice President Sara Z. Duterte be impeached and convicted.
“Malinaw na may ‘Plan B’ ang mga Duterte ito si Baste. So pinapakita na siguro kabado ang kampo ng mga Duterte na maaaring ma-impeach at magtuloy-tuloy at ma-convict sa Senado ang bise presidente,” he said.
“So mauudlot ang kanyang presidential bid dahil kasama ng impeachment — removal from office [at] ‘yung perpetual disqualification. ‘Di na pwedeng tumakbo. So nandyan ‘yung posibilidad na ‘yan kung magtuloy tuloy ang impeachment hanggang sa trial at conviction,” he added.
Duterte announced her presidential bid on February 18, nearly two years before the filing period for certificates of candidacy opens for the 2028 national and local elections. However, if the House votes to impeach her and the Senate convicts, those ambitions could be permanently extinguished.
Under the 1987 Constitution, a conviction by the Senate sitting as an impeachment court results in the impeachable official’s removal from office and permanent disqualification from holding any government position.
Tinio also pointed to the recent formation of a Duterte allied coalition — the Reform Alliance for Good Governance and Accountability (RAGE) — as one of the signs of early campaigning aimed at building another Duterte’s political platform ahead of 2028.
“Kaya ginawa siyang presidente ng PDP, at mayroon pa ngayong binuong koalisyon, ito ay para bigyan ng national platform ang isa pang Duterte,” he said.
“Pero kailangan malinaw sa atin na pulitika na naman ito, pangangampanya nang maaga ng isa pang Duterte,” Tinio added.
Since the fresh impeachment bid commenced, Sara Duterte has refused to directly address the grave allegations against her. Even when the House gave her ample opportunity to respond to each allegation, she used her submission only to argue that she had no obligation to answer — dismissing the charges as false and misleading and decrying the proceedings as biased against her.
The allegations Duterte faces include betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, and other high crimes in connection with the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds during her time as education secretary, unexplained wealth, and death threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
With the House Committee on Justice set to begin hearings on April 14, the vice president remains adamant in her refusal to participate — choosing instead to petition the Supreme Court to stop the proceedings and file perjury and libel complaints against Ramil L. Madriaga, her alleged bagman and one of the key witnesses who will testify against her.
The panel has 60 session days to determine whether probable cause exists to impeach Duterte and submit a report to the plenary for voting if the case goes to trial.
