Whatever will be, will be.

But when it comes to Sara Duterte, it seems her followers have already decided what must be: she must be right.

When the Vice President appeared before the Quezon City Hall of Justice following an arrest warrant over alleged grave threats, the issue should have been simple: a public official was facing a legal process. Instead, for many, it became another chapter in the familiar story of poor Sara, attacked Sara, persecuted Sara. Somewhere along the way, the question stopped being “What happened?” and became “How dare they do this to her?”

The law became the villain, and Sara became the victim before the facts could even speak.

Sara Duterte has become more than a politician to some of her supporters; she has become an identity.

And that is where loyalty turns dangerous. When admitting that she could be wrong also means admitting that they could have been wrong, questioning her becomes almost unthinkable. So every accusation becomes persecution, every investigation becomes harassment, and every criticism becomes an attack against “their” side. It is easier to believe everyone else is lying than to confront the possibility that the person they defended may actually be wrong.

We have seen this devotion before. Rodrigo Duterte built a following fiercely loyal enough to withstand the controversies surrounding his presidency. Apollo Quiboloy, too, has retained devoted followers despite serious allegations against him. Different figures, different circumstances, but the same disturbing reflex: when loyalty becomes worship, accountability becomes blasphemy.

And that is precisely what makes the Sara fandom troubling. Some no longer ask what the evidence says; they ask who is attacking her. They no longer ask whether she should be held accountable; they ask why their Sara is being targeted. She is no longer treated simply as a politician who can be questioned, challenged, or proven wrong. She is treated like a saint whose image must be protected at all costs.

Sara deserves due process. She deserves protection from genuine threats. She deserves the presumption of innocence. But she does not deserve immunity from questions simply because her supporters cannot bear an uncomfortable answer. A public official can be innocent until proven guilty without being innocent of criticism.

The blind fanaticism of her followers has gone beyond political loyalty. They have lost the instinct to question, the courage to doubt, and even the ability to distinguish right from wrong when it concerns their beloved Saint Sara. To them, admitting that Sara could be wrong is almost a betrayal of themselves, so they would rather bend reason than break their devotion. They do not see a politician who can be challenged and held accountable; they see Saint Sara, untouchable and above reproach. And when a fanatic treats a politician like a saint, accountability starts looking like blasphemy.

So, Que Sara, Sara—whatever will be, will be. But democracy cannot afford to leave everything to blind devotion. If we have reached a point where questioning a politician feels like betrayal, perhaps the problem is no longer the politician alone. Perhaps it is us, for turning public servants into idols and criticism into sacrilege. Sara Duterte does not need saints around her. She needs citizens willing to ask: what if she is wrong?

The Frontman