Panelo: ‘Dark horse’ could replace Sara Duterte in 2028

PAGADIAN CITY — Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said there would be no shortage of potential candidates to carry Vice President Sara Duterte’s banner in the 2028 presidential race should she be convicted by the impeachment court and barred from holding public office.

Panelo told reporters here on Saturday night that one viable substitute for Duterte would be her younger brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.

Baste, who turns 40 next year, has been leading efforts to consolidate their family’s political base after he became president of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino.

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READ: Who is Baste Duterte in VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial?

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Key party officials are mostly those in the circle of former President Rodrigo Duterte, currently detained in The Hague to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his drug war.Earlier, the Vice President had said their mother prefers to have Baste in national politics and she back in their bailiwick of Davao City.

Other alternatives, according to Panelo, are Senators Robin Padilla and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, whom he described as “sure winners.”

Duterte, who declared last February she will run in the 2028 presidential race, was charged with alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of public funds, grave threats, and bribery.

The House prosecution panel on Friday, the 37th trial day, presented its last witness before the Senate impeachment court on the charge that the Vice President allegedly amassed unexplained wealth while holding public office. Some estimates suggest judgment on the impeachment case will likely be handed down early next year.

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READ: WATCH: Baste Duterte takes oath as impeachment witness

If convicted, Duterte will be removed as Vice President and can no longer hold public office. If not convicted, according to Panelo, “there is no doubt that she will win as president (in 2028).”

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Dark horse

Panelo said the administration has already “secured the numbers” to convict Duterte under the court’s revised vote threshold, pointing to the current Senate majority.

He said he understands why Sen. Mark Villar switched to the majority “because he is under the gun.”

With that, Panelo said, only “a miracle” will save Duterte from conviction, such as the “intervention” of the Supreme Court in resolving the question of the vote threshold for conviction.

He is hopeful that the new petition of Go and Padilla will gain traction before the high court, but expressed reservations that such intervention is forthcoming. He said the Supreme Court “seems afraid (of the administration),” citing that their habeas corpus petition for the former president that has been pending for over a year already.

Panelo accused the Marcos administration of tightening the screws against Duterte’s allies and other presidential contenders to keep them off the political arena. He cited the possible filing of charges of inciting to sedition against Baste, obstruction of justice against Padilla for alleged involvement in Sen. Ronald dela Rosa’s escape, and the impending issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court against Go.

Beyond the three personalities, Panelo said he is confident “someone will emerge as a dark horse, whether from the ranks of politics or not.”

“And because the people had seen how the Dutertes and their allies are oppressed, this dark horse will receive a tidal wave of votes overwhelmingly, as a protest vote against the present dispensation,” Panelo said.

Intimidation ‘tactics’

He cautioned that the administration’s “persistent constitutional transgressions and targeted political persecution” against Duterte and her allies could ignite a widespread “political upheaval” across the nation.

Panelo, who was here for community engagements on Saturday and Sunday, slammed the administration’s alleged “deliberate tactics” to intimidate and silence the allies of the Vice President and her father.

He said that beyond the conviction of Duterte, the administration is making sure to install to power in 2028 “someone who will not put them in jail.”

If they can’t ensure that, Panelo said, the administration may resort to calling off the 2028 general elections through a constituent assembly vote. “The administration controls Congress, it will be easy for them to do it.”

Under the Constitution, a constituent assembly vote requires three-fourths of all members. Until today, the Senate and the House of Representatives have not yet settled the question of whether to convene and eventually vote jointly or separately.

`Reflecting on the country’s political fragmentation, Panelo urged the public to overcome fear and unite across political colors.

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Panelo, meanwhile, hinted that he remains open to a possible run in 2028: “As they say, ‘Que sera, sera—whatever will be, will be.’” INQ