Student councils, more legal, academic groups join call

Opposition against more delays in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte has snowballed, with several student councils joining more academic and religious groups in calling on the Senate to start the proceedings immediately.

The student councils of the University of Sto. Tomas, San Beda and Polytechnic University of the Philippines as well as the Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance, Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo Human Rights Center, Philippine Law School Faculty and Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) Board of Trustees were among the latest to add their voices to calls for the impeachment trial to begin without delay.

On Friday, faculty members of the San Beda Graduate School of Law – including retired Supreme Court Associate Justices Adolf Azcuna and Jose Vitug as well as graduate school dean Fr. Ranhilio Aquino – and over 100 members of the UP College of Law faculty also called on the Senate to “let the truth unfold.”

“Now more than ever, it is crucial to rise in collective action, defend our democratic institutions, and ensure that no public official is above the law,” the University of Santo Tomas Central Student Council said.

“A thorough and impartial investigation is essential to restore trust in government institutions and uphold the rule of law…We stand in solidarity with millions of Filipinos who demand accountability, good governance and leadership that truly serve the people.”

Student councils from San Beda University, including its Senior High School unit, said delaying the trial is a betrayal of justice and democratic integrity.

“To our fellow Filipinos, especially the youth and the academic community, now is not the time for silence…Let this be a moment of reckoning: Public office is a public trust, and the Constitution is a solemn promise and not an option of convenience,” the San Beda College of Arts and Science Student Council said.

The Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance said the trial is about “greater good prevailing over partisan politics and blind idolatry.”

The PUP College of Political Science and Public Administration Student Council added: “Democracy doesn’t just die overnight—it’s chipped away by leaders who bend the rules, dodge accountability, and put loyalty over the law.”

The Ateneo School of Government warned that dispensing the case without the benefit of a trial is a “dereliction of duty and a clear attempt to whitewash the accusations raised against a public official.”

Similarly, the Ateneo School of Government Ateneo Human Rights Center said: “It must be stated plainly: by deliberately delaying the impeachment proceedings, the Senate is failing in its constitutional duty. This is not merely a matter of scheduling. It is a matter of accountability, of constitutional integrity, and of the Senate’s credibility as an institution.”

The Philippine Law School Faculty said the impeachment is a non-legislative function that is now affected by changes in the Senate composition, while the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) Board of Trustees stressed that in functioning democracy, “no public official, regardless of their popularity or political influence, is above scrutiny.”

Militant groups, civil society organizations, and members of religious congregations will mount a three-day major rally and vigil from June 9 (Monday) to June 11, (Wednesday) to call on the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial of Duterte.

The Tindig Pilipinas coalition said an ecumenical gathering and people’s march will be launched on Monday from the Film Center to the Senate gate.

On Tuesday, June 10, a people’s vigil will be held at the Senate and on June 11 — the day the Senate is expected to begin the trial of the Vice President – will be the “Day of Action for Truth and Accountability.”

The Senate received the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives on February 5.

Based on Senate President Francis Escudero’s proposed calendar, House prosecutors should have presented the articles of impeachment on June 2, but this was moved to June 11.

This pushed back the timeline, including the issuance of a summons to the Vice President and the pre-trial phase.