Accountability vs. Political Motivation

The Case of Vice President Sara Duterte

By: Ulysses C. Ybiernas | March 24, 2025

Inasmuch as I typically refrain from siding with someone in politics, I can’t help but wonder why the Duterte family has become a hot item for the current administration. Ever since Vice President Sara Duterte distanced herself from the president, her office, both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), seems to have become a target for investigation, particularly regarding confidential funds. Or was it a matter of choosing sides, in favor of a cousin instead of a former ally?

With this development, certain questions arise: Did the previous OVP also have confidential funds, and if so, why wasn’t it subjected to the same level of scrutiny as the current VP’s offices? What if Sara Duterte remained an ally of the president, or, what if her father, the former president, never antagonized the current president with taunts like “bump” or a drug addict or “ bangag”, would the turn of events be different? Quite possibly. In fact, there had been a change of flavor in the incumbent's president stand on ICC's involvement in the Philippine justice system. He expedited the surrender of the former president to ICC prior to the May 2025 elections when the actual schedule of the case was set on September 2025 yet. This happened despite controversies about its legality. A report dated, April 15, 2024, by Rappler, quoted Marcos as saying that Philippine gov’t will not turn in Duterte to ICC. Why a change of heart? Is this move politically motivated then?

Let's go back to the controversy surrounding the Vice President and her offices. The Commission on Audit (COA) has reported anomalies regarding the names of recipients of financial outflow provided by the OVP in which the VP herself was not directly hands-on on delivering such services but her staffs. It is just right that irregularities must be examined, but the narrative being pushed is that the Vice President herself is directly responsible for these issues. Is there a trace that these so-called confidential funds being questioned were coursed through the VP's own personal bank accounts or onto some pseudo accounts like the case of then former president Estrada, the Jose Velarde account? If so, certainly it is a ground for impeachment. However, it seems to me that government tries to single her out and her offices. While accountability is necessary in any government agency, the focus on these specific offices suggests that politics is really at play.

In terms of governance, there is a distinction between accountability and responsibility. As head of the OVP and DepEd, Vice President Duterte is accountable for what happens under her leadership, but that does not mean she is directly responsible for every individual mistake committed by her subordinates. If we adopt the idea that the misdeeds of an official’s staff automatically translate to the leader’s guilt, then many government officials should also be facing scrutiny, or even impeachment. But is that happening? No. Instead, only Duterte’s offices are under the lens of this investigation.

Is political motivation the real intent? It is difficult to ignore the possibility that this issue is being used as a weapon against the Dutertes. With her and her father's overwhelming support system, certainly poses a major threat to other political figures who have ambitions for higher office. Political rivals might see her as an obstacle that needs to be eliminated before the 2028 presidential elections.

History has shown that when a politician becomes too powerful or influential, political machinations often come into play to weaken their standing. Whether through legal battles, corruption allegations, or public smear campaigns, such strategies have been used to erode public trust in strong political figures. The intense scrutiny of the OVP and DepEd seems to follow this familiar pattern.

If the government is truly committed to transparency and accountability, why are other departments with questionable transactions not receiving the same level of attention? Why is there no widespread investigation of all government offices to ensure fairness? Selectively targeting specific agencies gives the impression that this is not just about good governance, it is about political warfare.

The focus on VP Duterte and her offices appear to be more than just an effort to root out corruption, it seems to be an attempt to politically undermine a political threat. While accountability should always be upheld, it should be applied fairly across all government offices, not selectively used to weaken a potential political rival. If this trend continues, it will become clear that this is not anymore about justice, but about maintaining political control, or simply put, vengeance.

In the end, the Filipino people have to decide whether this is good governance or just purely part of a never-ending game we call politics.

← Previous Next →