The political situation in our beloved motherland, the Republic of the Philippines, is in an odd state these days.

The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte a couple of weeks ago.

This comes as no surprise since the House is headed by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, first cousin of the president. Also, the very first signatory to the impeachment charge was Rep. Sandro Marcos, son of the president.

Critics will say that the impeachment was railroaded by the lower chamber of the bicameral Congress, as the action had the support of both majority and minority lawmakers.

Unfortunately, the Senate showed that it was in no hurry to proceed with the impeachment. The 24 senators will serve as the VP’s impeachment court, with the Senate president acting as head.

For her part, VP Duterte has shown that she does not care, as she had long expected to be impeached by the House that is practically controlled by Malacanang.

The Senate, on the other hand, appears to be split, with Duterte having a slight majority of 13 of the 24 saying they were against holding the impeachment trial soonest. Her biggest defender also happens to be none other than Senator Imee Marcos, older sister of the president.

This is an odd situation, to say the least.

Had Duterte agreed to an impeachment trial now, she will almost certainly be cleared. Her 13 “friends” in the Senate would have guaranteed this.

But in waiting until the next Congress convenes, she risks having a less friendly senate judge her. The coming mid-term elections is all but certain to see the president’s umbrella organization win the majority of the 12 seats up for grabs.

Not only could she lose the trial, Duterte could also be permanently and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

Thus, her dream of seeking the presidency in 2028 will come to an abrupt end.

Of course, if the Senate does vote to not only remove her, but to also disqualify her from public office, it would be an invitation for her followers – and their numbers are legion – to take to the streets and demand a change of government.

This is the one thing that Ferdinand Marcos Jr. fears most – another Edsa-style revolt to remove him from office.

No wonder Marcos has said again and again that he has nothing whatsoever to do with the impeachment of the vice president.

The impeachment proceedings in the Senate is already considered a done deal. It must be held, no matter what.

What happens next will determine the fate of the Marcos regime.

If Duterte is removed as VP, her followers can be expected to take to the streets and demand the resignation of Marcos.

If Duterte wins her case, she becomes more formidable an opponent than ever before.

With Vice President Sara Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is literally stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Either way, he loses.

Sadly, it is the Filipino people who will pay the price for the political instability that follows.