With less than five months left in office, President Duterte could now be in a lame duck period, the term for a time when a leader’s influence starts to wane because of his limited time in office and his allies could be looking for new political marriages.
PDut’s melting influence is evident in the recommendation made by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which is led by his erstwhile ally Sen. Richard Gordon. In its partial report, it said charges “must be considered” against the President as he “aggressively protected and defended” the personalities behind the alleged anomalies involving Pharmally, a start-up pharmaceutical firm with less than a million in capital that got awarded government’s billions’ worth of Covid-19 supply contracts.
President Duterte even lashed out at the Senate, and barred Cabinet officials from attending the committee investigations last year.
He used the bully pulpit to discredit the committee. PDut’s actions were utter disrespect to the Senate, which, as part of the Philippine Congress, is a co-equal branch of the Executive Department.
The Blue Ribbon Committee report also recommends the filing of criminal charges against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, and Pharmally officials that included the Dargani siblings.
As a sitting President, PDut is immune from suit. However, this immunity is gone when he steps out of Malacañang past noon of June 30.
Gordon said ordinary citizens, including civic groups, can take legal action against the President after his term ends. Sen. Manny Pacquiao manifested his support for the committee’s partial report. During the early years of the Duterte administration, Pacquiao defended the President many times, even lifting Bible verses to prove his points. The alliance between the boxing icon and the “Dirty Harry” of Davao City cracked after the former slammed the government’s corruption during the pandemic.
Aside from this, the President is also facing an investigation at the International Criminal Court for “crimes against humanity” because of his brutal war on drugs, which saw deaths by the thousands, mostly poor men identified by the police and drug enforcement agency as pushers.
Legal troubles certainly await President Duterte once he returns to civilian life.
If Malacañang’s next occupant would be friendly to him, then PDut could live a stress-free post-presidential life.