Dispatch from Crame No. 371
On the malevolent plan to unseat VP Leni Robredo

Duterte has several ideas how he will be replaced in case he decides to step down before his term ends. He has expressed his preference for Bongbong Marcos, Chiz Escudero, a military junta, and whatever is proposed in a federal constitution. None of them include the constitutional mode of succession, which is the only legal way of replacing him.

This goes to show two things: first, Duterte is seriously considering not finishing his term, and second, only if his choice of succession is guaranteed. With the federal charter change campaign dead on the water, and a military junta having no avid takers from the AFP, this means that the only viable option remaining is to make sure that Marcos is in position to succeed as VP when Duterte decides to step down.

This therefore explains the Duterte administration's day and night efforts to demolish VP Leni Robredo and the legacy of Jesse Robredo. It is the aerial bombardment that precedes an invasion. By demolishing the public image of VP Leni, it would be much easier for Duterte to sell Marcos's hovering fraudulent victory at the PET to the Filipino people.

A Marcos PET victory is gradually nearing greater possibility, as old justices continue to retire and are replaced by Duterte appointees in the High Court. As the math of coopted SC votes improves to favor a Marcos fake victory, so will the Marcos-Robredo PET case unravel to its malevolent conclusion.

The people's only weapon against a Duterte-sponsored Marcos comeback is vigilance and resistance. After the Supreme Court has demonstrated its capability to perform the unconstitutional ouster of its own Chief Justice, it can no longer be relied upon to stand as the guardian of the Constitution and the rule of law. Now, more than ever, citizens must rely on their own organic power to thwart any attempt to undermine constitutional democracy and to foist Duterte's illegitimate choice of successor upon the Filipino people.