Invictus

Within just two days, the Duterte clan suffered three serious blows.

One, against patriarch Rodrigo Duterte, was the International Criminal Court ruling that it has jurisdiction over the case of crimes against humanity he is facing over his bloody campaign against illegal drugs. Another blow came yesterday, as the ICC confirmed all the charges against him, which would pave the way for his trial.

His brief comment while awaiting the ruling, in vintage Duterte, was “invictus” – Latin for being unconquered by extreme adversity. It’s also the title of an 1875 poem by English writer William Ernest Henley, with the famous lines, “I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul.”

Another blow struck his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, whose assets together with her husband Manases Carpio were laid bare at the impeachment hearing conducted on Wednesday by the justice committee of the House of Representatives.

That session was a highlight of this second impeachment effort, providing details that were not presented during the original impeachment in the previous 19th Congress.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla faced the House committee after his office submitted to the panel the VP’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth from 2007 to 2024 that were subpoenaed for the hearing. The SALNs showed the VP declaring zero bank deposits and zero cash on hand from 2019 to 2025.

SALNs are official records, with the ombudsman as the repository of the asset statements of the VP, the president and several other officials.

Because of his background, Remulla may be accused of politicking by the Duterte diehard supporters. To counter this, he might point to his current pursuit of President Marcos’ favorite cousin, ex-speaker Martin Romualdez.

As remarkable as the SALN disclosure was the testimony of the executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Ronel Buenaventura. He testified that between 2006 and 2025, the AMLC flagged a total of P6.77 billion in 630 covered and 33 suspicious transactions in the accounts of the VP and her husband.

Still awaited is the disclosure of the couple’s tax declarations, for comparison with the figures in the SALNs.

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The usual comment of the Dutertes on accusations hurled against them is that these are politically poisoned. They cite in particular staunch Duterte critic Antonio Trillanes IV, who testified at the House hearing that the former president, his children plus partner Honeylet Avanceña received a total of P181.6 million in payoffs from an alleged drug lord, Sammy Uy.

Trillanes said Uy has links to the former president’s economic adviser Michael Yang, also alleged to be a drug dealer and broker of the anomalous pandemic-era deal with Pharmally Pharmaceuticals.

We’ll have to wait for any Senate impeachment trial before we can assess the validity of Trillanes’ accusations.

Meanwhile, VP Sara has accused BBM of funding Trillanes. She has also slammed the Commission on Audit and the “newly installed” officials of the AMLC. The COA recently released its reports on disallowed confidential expenditures of the Office of the VP.

Even if the DDS’ accusations about a political agenda have basis, this shouldn’t diminish the evidentiary weight of the AMLC records, which were submitted in compliance with a House subpoena.

Yesterday, the VP’s legal counsel Michael Poa said her cash and bank deposits were included under the “others” in her SALNs, and that it is public knowledge that Samuel Uy is a friend of Digong Duterte.

The VP has since canceled her request for travel to five countries, citing the government’s last-minute approval of the trip – a charge denied by Malacañang.

Has she suffered a mortal blow from the ongoing House hearings? The House hearings constitute a preliminary probe; the worst is yet to come.

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Except for the allegations hurled by Ramil Madriaga, the details that have emerged were supposed to come out in an impeachment trial – if the Senate in the 19th Congress had acted forthwith on the original impeachment case.

This time, the new Senate chief in the 20th Congress has vowed to act forthwith, as early as May 4, if the Articles of Impeachment reach the chamber. More detailed evidence including bank records showing questionable wealth (which the Dutertes have long denied) can then be presented.

They aim to win the case at the Senate, Poa said. Other Duterte supporters have expressed the same confidence, believing they have the numbers at the Senate.

But if the evidence presented is so compelling, can pro-Duterte senators vote to clear the VP?

In the meantime, the VP’s brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, is now raising his profile, being the clan’s Plan B, as acknowledged by the DDS, in case his sister is disqualified from the 2028 presidential race.

The siblings, however, lack the formidable natural charisma of their father, with Baste’s charm even less, below water level, than his sister’s.

Rodrigo Duterte can rightfully claim invictus, bloody but unbowed in the face of adversity. His son Baste, on the other hand, has a penchant for challenging people to a fight, and then backing off when his bluff is called.

The VP seems gutsier than her brother. She and her clan will need a lot of invictus to get through this triple whammy.