Philippines Impeachment Drama Explodes: “We Lost Mindanao Because of This”




The bombshell admission came like a thunderclap. “We shot ourselves in the foot,” said Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, campaign manager for the Alyansa alliance. His verdict? The push to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte wasn’t just a misstep—it was a “self-inflicted wound” that cost them crucial votes in Mindanao.

“The moment the impeachment hit Congress, Mindanao turned against us,” Tiangco told radio DZBB. Voters, he claimed, abandoned Alyansa candidates to protect Duterte. “They chose leaders who’d block her removal. We never saw it coming.”

The numbers sting. Over 200 House members backed impeaching Duterte—the first VP in Philippine history to face such a trial. But Tiangco insists the move backfired: “Why force it? The Senate won’t act until June. Now they blame ME for our losses?”



“No Public Demand for Impeachment”
Tiangco refused to sign the February 5 impeachment articles. “This was avoidable,” he argued. “Who created this mess? Not us.” Even allies in Mindanao suffered, he said, as rivals painted them as “anti-Duterte.”

The fallout didn’t stop there. Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent arrest added fuel to the fire. Senate President Francis Escudero admitted both events swayed midterm results: “Voters remembered. They reacted.”

July Trial: “No Theatrics, Just Truth”
The Senate trial, set for July 3, promises high drama. Human rights icons Leila de Lima and Chel Diokno will prosecute, bringing what Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong calls “moral clarity” to charges of corruption, assassination plots, and misuse of $12 million in education funds.

But Palace officials say President Marcos Jr. won’t interfere. “Let the law decide,” said spokesperson Claire Castro. “Senators must answer to Filipinos—not loyalty.”

Duterte remains defiant. “I’m ready,” she declared, even as her team fights the case in the Supreme Court.

What Now?
With Mindanao’s loyalty shaken and a historic trial looming, one question haunts Manila: Did the impeachment gamble just rewrite the 2025 election playbook?

“We warned them,” Tiangco said. “Now we pay the price.”

Reshuff PH

Latest News In The Philippines brought to you by Philippine Daily Inquirer





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