By Diego Morra
After the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to declare the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio sufficient in form and substance and thus established the grounds for the impeachment to advance to preliminary investigation despite the queer questions lodged by a lawmaker, the forces opposed to the inquiry went on overdrive and cast aspersions on the entire process itself.
As usual, all the 54 panel members who voted to declare the complaints compliant in both substance and form have been targeted by the keyboard warriors of the Duterte camp, pushing the poppycock that all of them were paid to impugn the reputation, integrity and honor of Sara, who became notorious for declaring during her vice presidential run that sincerity and honesty are not needed in politics, a mindless declaration borrowed from Machiavelli, to be buttressed by some lifting from Sun Tzu, who was credited for saying “an evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.” Evil women can do as bad as evil men, whether they are fit to rule or not, and whether they can pass neuropsychiatric tests or not. So the canard is that the lawmakers were “bribed” to push the impeachment process.
In retort, the panel chairwoman, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, dismissed the yarn as pure fiction, which is like saying it is the duty of the Lower House to work on the complaint under the law, the rules of the Lower House and the mandate of the 1987 Constitution. Do we hear another recycling of “maleta” teleserye, hopefully not by Mike Defensor of Ador Mawanay notoriety but by new players responding to golden coins plunked into their jukeboxes. It may no longer be pleasant to the ear but make no bones about it, more affidavits may be produced to “prove” that ex-future Marines also paid congressmen and congresswomen to pin down Sara and kill her chances of becoming President.
If citizens are following Sara’s drama, they must have heard that a powerful political group has been threatening lawmakers not to sign off on the impeachment bid or they would lose votes in the 2028 elections. The story is that some elements who claim to be members of a very controversial religious group have told members of the Lower House that those who will persist in kicking out Sara will not get a single vote from them in 2028. Take of herd mentality at work. Yet, it is entirely possible that the religious group is not 100% behind the threats. It must make a clean breast of it by officially saying it is neutral as far as the impeachment process is concerned. Those threats amount to political blackmail and religious groups are supposed to be righteous and would not touch a corrupt, violent and *orgulous character even if she claims she will win in 2028.
Sara had earlier claimed she would not run for President and that her mother Elizabeth advised her to return to her Davao City turf. But the allure of power, especially absolute power, has consumed Sara such that she now questions the impeachment process itself as an evil attempt to deny her destiny as the country’s president in 2028. Yet, she is up the creek and her zealots are wasting no time to hatch schemes to prevent Congress from pursuing the impeachment process. One such scheme is to exploit her ties with a religious group that champions bloc voting. Thus, characters supposedly belonging to this are stretching their luck to far by telling lawmakers they would lose the group’s vote if they opt to remove Sara. They want a repeat of the victory of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who won a Senate seat as the Iglesia NI Cristo (INC) secured the support of many local candidates to carry him. By promising rival candidates of INC support, Marcoleta was able to secure votes from each camp, thus carrying the former congressman to the Senate.
Even as the INC makes bloc voting mandatory, studies have shown that only about 75% of its members who voted actually heeded the instruction. Unlike Roman Catholics or Protestants who respect the right their members to vote as dictated by their conscience, or “may sariling bait,” INC members abide by the counsel of their leadership to show their iron discipline and unity. If the other mainstream churches take a more political role, they could technically beat the solid INC vote. For Sara, her Jewish roots would be noted sternly by Muslims who continue to watch the bloody carnage of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers, with more than 70,000 slain in Gaza, and more than 75% of them children, women and the elderly, including Palestinian Christians. Interestingly, the Hannibal Directive followed by Israelis holds that Jews must not be captured by the enemy. Those in danger of capture run the risk of being shot and killed by Israelis themselves. Better dead than abducted.
The necropolitics pursued by Sara’s father, Rodrigo, will no doubt be resurrected by Sara in the aftermath of such a catastrophe as her winning the presidency. Digong, acting much like a king and Il Duce and Fuehrer rolled into one, dictated who should live and who should do die. Sara threatened to kill Bongbong and wife, as well as former Speaker Martin Romualdez, not because of political differences but because she never got a battalion of bodyguards, failed to land the defense portfolio and never enjoyed full control of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing. She wanted to cross swords with Bongbong to test his mettle and secure a casus belli, hoping a permanent clash with Malacanang would guarantee her 2028 victory. So, who is the purported Svengali behind this bloody Trilby?
To cut Sara’s crap, Congress should push for her trial before the Senate, never mind the threats of losing INC votes for some lawmakers. The INC is a confirmed religious minority and it is doubtful if they are the majority in any congressional district. Why fear bloc voting? Fear the majority, organize your base and satisfy the needs of constituents, Forge a broad front with various political forces on economic, social and environmental issues. That is the mass line politicians should follow. Heed what Romans 16:16 says: Greet believers with a holy kiss. #
= = = = = =
WORD OF THE DAY: Orgulous – Haughty.