Let’s talk about the impeachment of VP Sara Duterte, and the political theater exploding in the Senate. Because behind all the noise, something else is moving.
To understand what’s really going on, you need to know a bit about Sun Tzu. He was a Chinese military strategist from over 2,000 years ago, and his book The Art of War is still studied in war colleges, boardrooms, and, yes, backrooms of power. One of his most famous lessons? “All warfare is based on deception.”
And in Philippine politics, that rule still holds true.
What if everything we’re seeing – the delays, the grandstanding, the talk of “not enough numbers” in the Senate – is not a failure, but a calculated pause? What if this is all part of a political chess match being played by President Marcos himself?
It’s no secret that the numbers just aren’t there to convict Sara Duterte, not in this Congress. Published reports have floated anywhere between 8 to 13 senators inclined to vote one way or another, but in a Senate where only 9 votes are enough to acquit, the outcome is clear: Sara walks, for now.
So what’s the strategy? Delay. Stall. Reset the board. Let the 19th Congress expire quietly, then relaunch the real battle in the 20th Congress, when the lineup may shift, loyalties may change, and the numbers might finally favor conviction.
And who has the power to move that timeline? Marcos. And only Marcos.
He’s the one who can breathe life back into the impeachment. And let’s be blunt: If he really wanted it killed, he could’ve crushed it completely. But he didn’t. The impeachment was sent back to the House, not buried. That’s not retreat. That’s repositioning.
Think back to what happened before Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest. Remember how Marcos, ES Bersamin, and Malacañang said: “We’re not touching that. The ICC is not our concern.” Then, boom, Duterte gets arrested. Hospital arrest was blocked. ICC route activated. And who executed the order? Gen. Nicolas Torre. But who made the real call? The President.
So we ask again: What if Marcos and Chiz Escudero are quietly running the same play now?
They know they don’t have the numbers yet. So they delay. Let the public cool off. Let the next Congress open. Then strike, with enough senators, with a tighter case, and with a plan to convict. Not just to put Sara Duterte on trial, but to finish the job.
All this talk of “reconciliation,” “unity,” “let’s move on from impeachment,” these are manufactured distractions. Classic Sun Tzu. Make your enemy underestimate you. Make the public look the other way. Then hit them where it counts.
Kutsero, barbero, and even pundits say the impeachment is dead. They’re wrong. It’s very much alive… by design. They’re just buying time. And that should scare everyone in Davao City.
Because if Marcos is playing the long game, and all signs point to yes, then this isn’t about peace. This is about control.
And Sara Duterte? She’s not off the hook. She’s just on borrowed time.
