Their votes for Sara’s impeachment could follow them to the next election

With all eyes on the impeachment, every move has become a public relations opportunity for politicians on every side. 

The government is not built on law alone, politics shape institutions just as much as the Constitution does. That reality is evident in the Senate, where the lawmakers tasked with judging Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte themselves are connected by years of political relationships that long predate the impeachment.

An impeachment may be decided by senators, but its political consequences are decided by voters. With VP Duterte carrying the backing of more than 32-million votes that allowed her to win as VP in 2022, her supporters could also support the senators who vote in her favor.

It cuts both ways

The impeachment is no longer just a political contest between the Marcos and Duterte Camps, even with Operation Romanov. The spotlight also shifts to the Senate, where every senator’s vote could shape not only the verdict but also how the public will remember them in the next elections.

And from the moment that the Senate received Duterte’s Articles of Impeachment, it has already faced delays from the chamber itself. In 2025, with a vote of 19-4-1 to archive the Articles of Impeachment due to the one-year bar rule, the “Duterte bloc” already voted yes by a landslide:

• Imee Marcos 
• Bato dela Rosa 
• Rodante Marcoleta 
• Robin Padilla 
• Camille Villar 
• Mark Villar
• Bong Go. 

And through the archiving, it was the Senate itself who “killed” the articles of impeachment against Duterte. Sen. Risa Hontiveros voted no, stressing that the Supreme Court decision is not yet final and that the Senate should hear the case instead of burying it. But before any verdict was reached, it was already barred by the Senate’s majority vote.

They go way back

Some of the senator-judges’ connections with the VP had long existed through years of political alliances, especially with the following who were a part of UniTeam:

1. Robin Padilla
2. Loren Legarda 
3. Mark Villar
4. Jinggoy Estrada

But beyond the UniTeam slate, there are others who were also connected to VP Duterte in the 2025 elections:

1. Camille Villar –  adopted as a guest candidate of the DuterTen slate, personally endorsed by the VP.
2. Imee Marcos – personally endorsed by VP Duterte even after the Marcos-Duterte split.
3. Rodante Marcoleta – Won the 2025 elections after riding the Duterte wave and went viral, thanks to Duterte-related content.

Aside from VP Duterte’s personal connections with the senator-judges, the following also shared a past with the Duterte family themselves: 

1. Alan Peter Cayetano – Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 vice presidential running mate and first Secretary of Foreign Affairs
2. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa – Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief under Rodrigo Duterte
3. Christopher “Bong” Go –  Rodrigo Duterte’s former Special Assistant

And in hopes of reelection, the decision of all the senators in the impeachment could determine whether they can stay as senators or not. 

Growing public scrutiny had already found its way to the streets, as protesters rallied behind the impeachment. With 41% of Filipinos supporting VP Duterte’s impeachment, the Senate’s decisions will be judged not only inside the chamber but also at the ballot box. Moreover, as the move to archive VP Duterte’s impeachment before angered the public, the senators’ vote to possibly acquit her will impact their standing for reelection.

“To our senators who voted to supposedly archive the impeachment: shame on you,” Bayan Secretary-General Mong Palatino said in a statement, symbolizing the political stakes. 

“We call on teachers, education workers, and all defenders of democracy to continue the struggle for the full public accounting of all public funds and for the removal of corrupt and negligent officials,”  the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) also supplied.

The impeachment may place one official on trial, but it also turns the spotlight toward the senators, especially the new Senate majority:

• Bam Aquino
• JV Ejercito
• Sherwin Gatchalian
• Risa Hontiveros
• Panfilo “Ping” Lacson
• Lito Lapid
• Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan
• Vicente Sotto III
• Erwin Tulfo
• Raffy Tulfo
• Juan Miguel Zubiri

Should the Senate majority vote to convict or acquit, the public will remember not just the verdict but also every senator who cast their vote.

Nonetheless, not every senator enters the impeachment with the same political timeline. For some, reelection is still years away. Others have already reached the constitutional term limit, while a few remain absent from the chamber altogether. Yet regardless of their circumstances, each vote and decision during the trial will become part of the political record they carry into 2028.

And the spotlight does not fall on the Senate alone. It also shines on VP Duterte, whose response to the proceedings could prove just as politically consequential as the verdict itself.

Who owns the narrative?

Still, among those with the most to gain politically from the impeachment is VP Duterte herself. Beyond defending herself against the charges, the proceedings also present an opportunity to shape public perception and reinforce her narrative among supporters. 

VP Duterte has framed the impeachment as politically motivated. She also claimed, “Because I am the frontrunner in the presidential race in 2028… I think they want to eliminate the frontrunner.”

Her claim comes as recent Pulse Asia polling placed her ahead in a hypothetical 2028 presidential race, with 51% support against former Vice President Leni Robredo, who garnered 41%. 

The stakes extend beyond the Senate floor, where the verdict could either end VP Duterte’s 2028 presidential bid or leave her with a clearer path to the presidency. While the impeachment gives Duterte a chance to rally her base, it also offers the Marcos administration an opportunity to gain political ground in its feud with the Duterte camp.

One of the impeachment articles stems from Duterte’s own remarks during a livestream: “I have talked to a person and I said, if I get killed, go kill BBM [Marcos], [First Lady] Liza Araneta, and [former Speaker] Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke. I said, do not stop until you kill them and he said yes.”

Although Malacañang has repeatedly maintained that the impeachment is a matter for Congress and the Senate, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is far from detached from the proceedings. Duterte’s own statements against Marcos are part of the Articles of Impeachment, giving the administration a narrative that works in his favor to reinforce criticism of the VP.

Every verdict has a voter

The impeachment may conclude with a verdict, but its political consequence will not end there. 

Bloodied or unbowed, every player in this political battlefield will eventually face the only judgment that matters: the vote of the people.

Because in impeachment trials, senators are expected to judge. But this time, they may find themselves being judged just as closely.