Sara impeachment vs energy crisis? Camps battle to control the story

It’s not out of the ordinary for Vice President Sara Duterte to frame the impeachment effort of the House of Representatives against her as nothing but a political endeavor that sidelines more pressing issues in the Philippines.

But her latest attempt to dismiss the proceedings as meaningless now coincides with growing concerns over an energy crisis.

“The country’s current problems are the looming closure of businesses, job losses, and the hardship faced by every Filipino family due to the continued rise in the prices of goods,” she said in a statement ahead of the hearing proper. “Once again, politics is being prioritized over the welfare of millions of Filipinos.”

This is a problem that has become pronounced for the House: how does it articulate the importance of impeachment proceedings while the ordinary Filipino struggles to provide food on the table?

Justice committee chairperson Jinky Luistro directly addressed the oil crisis in her opening speech during the first day of the hearing proper on the impeachment case of the Vice President on Wednesday, March 25.

“Oil prices are rising. The cost of basic goods is increasing. Ordinary Filipinos feel the weight of daily life more than ever. And yet, even as we undertake this solemn constitutional duty, the House of Representatives does not forget its other responsibilities. We continue working on our other obligations even though there is an impeachment proceeding,” she said.

The Batangas congresswoman then enumerated supposed actions of the House to alleviate the burden of inflation, such as the approval of a bill that authorizes the President to suspend or reduce fuel excise tax (which Marcos signed into a law a day later).

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Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega, who endorsed one of the active complaints against the Vice President, also insisted that the House has been productive despite taking on impeachment work.

“The premise is flawed. Addressing inflation and ensuring accountability are not competing tasks — they are both essential to governance,” he said on Thursday, March 26.

The Duterte camp has leaned heavily into the narrative that the government’s priorities are misplaced to undermine the investigation of the House justice committee.

“There is a time for politics, and there is a time for survival. Elections exist to settle political differences. But crises such as this demand unity, urgency, and decisive action,” PPP Representative Harold Duterte also said on Thursday.

There are no recent surveys on the public’s appetite regarding the impeachment of the Vice President, but a July 2025 Pulse Asia Survey found that 2 in every 3 Filipinos believe she should face the impeachment court to formally answer the allegations against her.

Have the tides turned? As the oil crisis begins to dominate headlines, lawmakers will have to double down on articulating the importance of holding the Vice President accountable.

“Not only food or livelihood matters to the people. Accountability also matters, and so does justice,” Bicol Saro Representative Terry Ridon said. “Can those be eaten? No. But they still matter to people.”

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– Rappler.com