In the sprawling, chaotic, and often-shadowy world of Philippine politics, the UniTeam was, for a brief, shining moment, the invincible super-majority. It was a marriage of dynasties that crushed all opposition and consolidated power in a way the nation had not seen in decades.

Today, that UniTeam is not just dead; its ghost is being exorcised, and the exorcist is, perhaps, the one person who knew it best: Vice President Sara Duterte.

For months, the political world has been reeling from a series of internal leaks and bombshells. We have seen the old guard (the Sotto dynasty) and the current guard (the Marcos administration) paralyzed by friendly fire. We saw the COA ultimatum and the Ombudsman’s song. We saw the DPWH and the ICI consortium flip, with a witness pointing at Sotto Kokak Junior as the mastermind of a massive syndicate.

This has, until now, been a war in the shadows.

This week, VP Sara Duterte just dragged it into the sun.

In what is being hailed as Big GoodNews by her supporters, and a political execution by her rivals, the Vice President has just stepped onto the stage and pinpointed the masterminds. This was not a cryptic social media post. This was, according to reports, a bombshell speech delivered in front of the titans of Philippine business, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

This is not just a speech; it is a declaration of war. And her targets are, allegedly, everyone.

The report claims that VP Sara, in this stunning move, has tinumbok (pinpointed) the masterminds of the corruption that is plaguing the nation. And the names she has tinuro (pointed at) are the very names that have been paralyzed by the leaks: Sotto Kokak Junior (the Sotto dynasty’s heir) and Tamba (a knocked-out figure, widely believed to be Justice Secretary Remulla).

Yari na! (They are done for!). This is the war cry. This is the victory lap. This is the story of how the isolated Vice President just checkmated all her rivals.

This move is a masterstroke of political judo for three, devastating reasons.

First, it is a two-front war. For months, VP Sara has been isolated by the Palace (Malacañang) and the Kamara (Congress), the UniTeam that she helped build. Her confidential funds were stripped. Her allies were demoted. She resigned from the Cabinet. She was, in effect, a VP in name only.

Now, she is striking back.

By pinpointing Tamba (Remulla), she is attacking the current administration that betrayed her. She is weaponizing the COA/Ombudsman leaks to expose the rot within the Palace.

But she did not stop there. By also pinpointing Sotto Kokak Junior, she is attacking the old guard dynasty that is, in itself, a rival power bloc.

She has, in one speech, defined her enemies: the old (Sotto) and the new (Marcos/Remulla), painting them both as corrupt masterminds. She has divorced herself from the UniTeam and, in the same breath, divorced herself from the old guard, positioning herself as the only true outsider truth-teller.

Second, the PCCI is the weapon.

The genius of this pasabog (bombshell) was the venue. She did not leak this to a vlogger (like the Anjo Yllana/Cristy Fermin showbiz war). She did not shout it at a political rally.

She delivered it, calmly and with evidence (the leaks), to the PCCI. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The business leaders.

This is a strategic move. She is not just slandering her rivals; she is framing them as economic risks. She is, in effect, warning the titans of industry: This is the corruption that is plaguing our economy. These are the masterminds (Sotto Jr. and Tamba) who are scaring away investors.

This is her pitch for 2028. She is aligning herself with the business community against the corrupt political class. It is a power move that legitimizes her attack, elevating it from a petty feud to a national economic crisis.

Third, this is the kill shot.

Sotto Jr. and Tamba (Remulla) were already tamba (knocked out). They were paralyzed by the internal leaks. They were wounded.

VP Sara’s public speech at the PCCI is the coup de grace. She has confirmed the leaks. She has legitimized the whispers. She has taken the rumors of DPWH/ICI corruption and stamped them with the authority of the Vice Presidency.

She has, in effect, authenticated the receipts.

This is why the report is Big GoodNews for her supporters. This is Panalo si FPRRD! (a win for the Duterte camp). After months of being the punching bag for the confidential funds issue, she has seized the narrative. She is no longer the one on trial; she is the prosecutor.

The Eat Bulaga! sindikato war, which was aimed at her ally (Tito Sotto’s rival, Anjo Yllana), now looks like a petty distraction. VP Sara has exposed the real sindikato, and it is allegedly run by Sotto Jr. himself.

The UniTeam is dead. The old guard is exposed. The new guard is at war with itself.

And VP Sara Duterte, the silent VP, is the one who just flipped the chessboard, pinpointed the masterminds, and walked away with the allegiance of the business community.

The 2028 war has, officially, begun.