Wrecking operation

By Artchil B. Fernandez

The current Senate upheaval, the appearance of the “18-marites” or “maleta boys,” and the constant destabilization threats against the present administration have upended the country’s body politic. How does one make sense of these developments, which are wracking the political realm and wrecking the political landscape?

The Senate continues to be undermined by Alan Peter Cayetano, who was removed as Senate president on June 3, 2026, when senators finally had a quorum to conduct business after days of paralysis. Despite the Avelino vs. Cuenco jurisprudence, which allowed 12 senators to make the Senate operational again, Cayetano adamantly insists he is still the Senate chief.

Cayetano’s insistence is not only desperate but delusional. The Executive and the House already recognized the new Senate majority, but Cayetano firmly clings to his fantasy that he is still the Senate chief. While he continues to do a pantomime of being Senate head, nobody does business with him, and he is completely ignored by government agencies and Senate employees.

The one signing checks and documents for the Senate is the new Senate leader, acting Senate President Win Gatchalian. The House is also coordinating with Gatchalian on the coming State of the Nation Address of the president. All government agencies under the Executive recognize Gatchalian as Senate chief, as do constitutional bodies like the Civil Service Commission. Despite these developments, Cayetano shamelessly claims he is the Senate boss. He cuts a pathetic, laughable figure.

Despite being ignored by everyone, Cayetano issues memos, instructions, and orders in the name of the Senate. While one may view Cayetano’s action as delusional — his mind operating in an alternate universe — there is a deeper underlying motive why he is doing it. His act is part of a huge wrecking operation designed to undermine and sabotage the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Alan Peter Cayetano is the fitting driver of the Dutertes’ wrecking machine. By throwing the Senate off course and subverting it, Cayetano is trying to scuttle the impending impeachment trial of Sara Duterte. Sowing chaos, Cayetano is attempting to cripple the upper chamber’s ability to hold a trial for the impeached vice president. As a wrecking ball, Cayetano is seeking to ruin the impeachment trial at the very least or stop it from happening at most. He is doing the bidding of his masters, the Dutertes.

In the same vein, the resurfacing of the “18-marites” or former bodyguards/delivery boys of Zaldy Co, the suspected mastermind of the ghost flood control projects scandal, is tied to the coming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. DDS senators made the Senate hall available to these modern Makapili to amplify their lies and falsehoods. Their fabricated stories are intended to smear the people critical of the Dutertes and those involved in the impeachment of Sara Duterte.

The claims of the “18-marites” or “maleta boys” are so incredulous and wild that they not only stripped their script of its fantasy element but undermined it. Their story is not only full of loopholes but is riddled with inconsistencies. They named the then-detained Leila de Lima as among those who received suitcases of money from ghost flood control projects, despite the fact that she was not a member of Congress at the time the money was delivered. They retracted the statement when the lie was exposed.

It is understandable that the “maleta boys” have to implicate Leila de Lima since she is an archcritic of the Dutertes. But doing so exposed their falsehoods and hurt their tall tale. The malice of their accusation is laid naked before the public.

Worth noting is the fact that the “18-marites” only pointed to critics of the Dutertes as the ones involved in the ghost flood control projects scam. They absolved DDS senators despite their involvement, like in the case of Jinggoy Estrada. The Sandiganbayan found probable cause to charge Estrada with the nonbailable crime of plunder in connection with the ghost flood control projects scandal, yet the “maleta boys” never mentioned him. They also exonerated Loren Legarda, whom they earlier accused of receiving two suitcases of cash. When Legarda jumped to the Duterte bandwagon, the “18-marites” immediately revised their script regarding Legarda.

Impeachment prosecutors from the House are the focus of the story of the “maleta boys.” The “18-marites” are tainting the credibility of House prosecutors by claiming they were paid to impeach and prosecute Sara Duterte. This is another wrecking operation intended to spoil, vandalize, and ultimately destroy the impeachment trial of the vice president. By alleging bribery, the “18-marites” aim to instill doubt on the looming impeachment trial. Their appearance, coordinated with the intransigent delusion of Cayetano, is part of the grand wrecking operation of the Dutertes.

It is plainly clear the story of the “18-marites” is a pure lie since they failed to provide corroborative evidence to back up their claim. Aside from their words, there is no document, paper trail, or hard proof to support their accusations. It has been months since they came out, but they have not supplemented their story with concrete facts.

The grand wrecking operation of the Dutertes indicates Sara Duterte is afraid of her impeachment trial. Why would the Dutertes painstakingly concoct an elaborate scheme involving the deranged Alan Peter Cayetano and his gang of DDS senators, as well as the “18-marites,” to derail, subvert, and eventually halt — should the operation succeed — her impeachment trial if the case against her is weak? What are the Dutertes trying to prevent the public from knowing during the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte? What are they hiding from the Filipino people? What truth are they suppressing?

The question is: Will the wrecking operation of the Dutertes succeed? That, the nation will find out in the coming weeks.