[Rappler’s Best] Second quarter storm

In the best-case scenario of the pro-impeachment bloc in the House of Representatives, the justice committee could already vote by Wednesday, April 29, on the existence of probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

The committee can then transmit its report to the plenary by May 4 and allow House members sufficient time to read it. Since both houses of Congress are scheduled to adjourn on June 5, the impeachment vote should happen before the end of May. 

So that, ideally, before June 5, the Senate can then start the trial against Duterte “forthwith.” If it helps, here’s a reminder of the bellyaching over “forthwith” in 2025.

Deja vu? Yes, we’ve been there before — last year, to be exact. But there are marked differences this year.

• The Supreme Court (SC) has already rescued Duterte once, and she tried to seek relief from the justices again this year. No luck for her this time. 
• The bombshell testimonies against the Vice President in the last two weeks appear to be just the tip of the iceberg: former aide Ramil Madriaga said he had witnessed her illegal transactions and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) confirmed billions-worth transactions in the accounts of the Vice President and the other Dutertes.
• Former president Rodrigo Duterte is going to trial in the International Criminal Court (ICC). That’s a maddening split-screen experience for Filipinos, who will now be watching and listening to criminal allegations against father and daughter, a double whammy.
• When the Senate dragged its feet in 2025 and tossed Duterte’s rescue package to the SC, it had just emerged from the midterm elections, where the administration coalition took a beating. The flood control corruption scandal that followed, however, has put at least four senators in a vulnerable spot and given the Marcos administration some leverage over them: senators Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, and Bong Go — all Duterte allies. The Ombudsman last week asked for a travel ban against Escudero over graft and plunder complaints that are being readied against him.
• In short, the “math may not be mathing” for the Dutertes this time around. Senator Bato dela Rosa, named Duterte’s co-perpetrator in the ICC case, has also been absent for months now for fear he will be arrested and be brought to The Hague.

What has the Vice President seem to have violated based on the recent testimonies against her? Dwight de Leon tackles them in this report. In particular, her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) don’t match what the AMLC has disclosed as her bank transactions from when she was mayor of Davao City. 

Why does this matter? Lian Buan explains in this story, citing the case of the late chief justice Renato Corona, who was convicted by the Senate in 2013 for failing to declare his bank accounts in his SALN.

Meanwhile, more than a week after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that fugitive Zaldy Co, one of the alleged masterminds in the flood control scam, has been taken into custody by Czech authorities, we still don’t know where he is. Jairo Bolledo tells us more in this piece.

On the other hand, the assets of Co’s former sparring partner, presidential cousin and ex-speaker Martin Romualdez, have been frozen by the Court of Appeals, according to the Ombudsman.

Here are some of Rappler’s bests that you shouldn’t miss:

Dwight de Leon scrutinizes the video statement of former speaker Martin Romualdez that the latter posted on April 21. In a Thought Leaders piece, Raul F. Borjal questions Romualdez’s framing of the budget controversy as if Congress were blameless for it. 

Lian Buan writes about the men of the hour — former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and former deputy ombudsman Arthur Carandang.

Earl Parreño takes a step back from the rage over the killing of young Filipinos in a series of military “encounters” in Negros Occidental and asks “why we continue to offer them a path that so often demands their lives.” Jelo Mantaring profiles one of them, UP student Alyssa Alano, and Ambo Delilan writes about another victim — poet, journalist, and activist RJ Ledesma.

Gelo Gonzales tells us more about Pax Silica — a US-led coalition aiming to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains — and the many questions about it. Business columnist Den Somera weighs in with some recommendations. – Rappler.com

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