Search for a savior

The return of siblings Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano to the Vice President’s impeachment proceedings adds another layer of political theater to an already extraordinary spectacle. Their participation is significant because the Senate impeachment court must ultimately confront a fundamental constitutional question: conviction requires the concurrence of two-thirds of all Senate members. The debate over how that threshold should operate has become an issue in its own right.

Alan Peter Cayetano, known for his highly public political style, can be expected to command attention as the Senate tackles the threshold issue. But Filipinos should distinguish parliamentary drama from the constitutional question before the impeachment court. The proceedings are supposed to determine accountability, not provide another stage for political personalities.

The larger political consequences are impossible to ignore. Depending on how the impeachment proceedings unfold, competing political forces could gain or lose momentum heading toward 2028. A Duterte return to Malacañang is one scenario being discussed in political circles; so is the possibility of continued Marcos political dominance. Neither scenario, however, changes the problems confronting ordinary Filipinos.

The International Criminal Court case involving former President Rodrigo Duterte is proceeding independently of Philippine electoral politics. The ICC says Duterte was surrendered to its custody in March 2025 over allegations concerning crimes against humanity. Whatever happens in Philippine politics, that judicial process has its own rules and jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, poverty will not disappear because Manny Pacquiao has been appointed secretary and lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission. His mandate is to coordinate government poverty-reduction and social-reform efforts; the results will ultimately have to be measured against the conditions faced by poor Filipinos.

Fuel prices, corruption allegations, government inefficiency and recurring floods remain realities that no impeachment vote can resolve.

That is perhaps the most uncomfortable truth. Filipinos have repeatedly been offered political personalities as solutions to problems that are fundamentally institutional. Cash assistance can provide temporary relief, but it cannot substitute for jobs, functioning infrastructure, competent public services and accountable government.

The country does not need another political savior.

It needs a government that makes saviors unnecessary. Until that happens, every new political hero will simply inherit the same broken system, while ordinary Filipinos remain on their own—paying more, receiving less and waiting for the next promise that never fixes the problem.