Choosing the “lesser evil” between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte is out of the question for University of the Philippines (UP) student publications as they call for the impeachment of the country’s top two officials.
Student journalists across the UP system adopted a resolution asserting that impeachment should not be viewed as a topic confined to identifying who has committed “less” atrocities against Filipinos, during the 2026 UP Solidaridad Biannual Congress at UP Diliman.
UP Solidaridad is the systemwide alliance of student publications and writers’ organizations in UP.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte must be held independently, concurrently, and without any compromise accountable for their respective abuses, opposing any attempt to shield one official from impeachment or public scrutiny in exchange for the prosecution of the other,” the resolution reads.
The resolution, authored by the Philippine Collegian, further enjoined campus publications to dismiss and oppose narratives that would frame impeachment as a choice between Marcos Jr. and Duterte.
The issue of choosing the “lesser evil” between President Marcos Jr. and VP Duterte already surfaced during the 2025 midterm elections.
The Makabayan coalition presented its candidates then as a “grassroots alternative” to traditional politicians, saying Filipinos need not be limited to choosing between the “kadiliman” or “kasamaan” forces.
“Hindi laging ‘lesser evil’ ang dapat suportahan. ‘Evil’ pa rin ‘yun, anuman ang itawag nila,” Makabayan said.
Makabayan chairperson Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño critiqued anew the said notion when he called for the resignation of the two officials amid the flood control controversy.
As student publications discuss the adopted resolution, the matter of establishing a National Transition Council (NTC) was raised to ensure that grassroots interests will be prioritized in the new government once both Marcos Jr. and Duterte are removed from office.
Editor-in-chief Czerina Caldit of Scientia said NTC will aim to ensure the smooth transition from the current “very messy government” to a “better system,” noting that the council will be composed of representatives from multisectoral groups such as farmers and labor leaders.
“[Sa pamamagitan ng NTC], magkakaroon ng mga reporma [sa aspeto ng] socio-economic, electoral, at ma-e-ensure na maayos ang investigation na gagawin regarding the corruption,” she said.
Caldit also said member publications of UP Solidaridad should explain the essence of NTC to the public, doubling down on concerns that the council may introduce new faces but preserve pressing issues like corruption.
“Pero sa atin mismo sa press, kailangan ng more clarifications, educational discussions perhaps about NTC, para ma-explain natin sa tao kung ano siya at ma-resolve ang concerns nila tungkol dito,” she added.
The Manila Collegian sought to amend the resolution to include provisions on NTC, but opted to apply the proposed changes in a separate resolution instead.
The said resolution is expected to detail how the NTC will be established, alongside particulars regarding its role and composition.
Marcos Jr. faced two impeachment complaints this year filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus and the Makabayan coalition on charges of betraying public trust, following the president’s alleged insertions and kickbacks from the flood control fiasco.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives adopted the report of its justice panel, junking the bids with 284 affirmative votes.
Duterte, on the other hand, continues to face two impeachment complaints filed by the Makabayan coalition and Tindig Pilipinas, after the one-year bar rule on filing impeachment cases was lifted.
The vice president’s alleged irregularities in spending confidential funds was cited by the complainants as a basis for betraying public trust.
The adopted resolution urged member publications of UP Solidaridad to strengthen their reportage about the impeachment bids against Marcos Jr. and Duterte by exhausting their respective resources.
It asserted that the university-wide alliance should affirm the essence of campus journalism as a “proactive watchdog” through covering and probing allegations and acts of corruption and abuse of power by the president and vice president.
The resolution also pushed for the enhanced participation of UP student publications to help advance the impeachment proceedings by engaging in activities by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, National Union of Students of the Philippines, and Kabataan Party-list.
Renewed involvement in the Youth Rage Against Corruption and sending representatives for the impeachment hearings, if possible, are further enjoined.
Aside from this adopted resolution, other calls passed were for increased reportage in Mindoro amid escalating military abuse and for a coordinated campaign to condemn the conviction of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil of terrorism-financing.
At least seven resolutions will be tackled online before the second congress this August.
