Some 3,000 members of various civil society, academic and religious groups started their three-day mass action Monday to push for the immediate start of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
This as the Makati Business Club (MBC) warned that failure to uphold the Senate’s Constitutional duty to convene as an impeachment court may have an impact on foreign investors, while former Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Lingayen Archbishop Socrates Villegas said it was “a sin to suppress or conceal the truth.”
“The impeachment trial cannot be made optional, it’s an obligation. We remind (the Senate) that justice has no expiration date. Our struggle continues, now until the 20th Congress,” said Akbayan party-list president Rafaela David in her speech.
Former Senator and incoming Mamamayang Liberal party-list representative Leila de Lima added: “The trial must be conducted to see whether VP Sara is guilty or not. Suppression of truth is unacceptable.”
“It’s infuriating that we’re being made fools of, as if we don’t know what’s written in the Constitution,” De Lima added.
Earlier, retired SC Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna, a framer of the 1986 Constitution who drafted, in particular, Article XI which states that the impeachment trial must proceed “forthwith,” said the articles of impeachment received by the Senate in the 19th Congress will not lapse and should be carried over to the 20th Congress.
“It is precisely meant to mean immediately and without unreasonable delay or in the national language official version, ‘agad-agad,’” Azcuna said.
The protest actions are set to continue until June 11, the date set by Senate President Francis Escudero for the submission of the articles of impeachment.
Villegas, for his part, said delaying the impeachment trial further was “deplorable.”
“It is wrong to delay or abort it – it is sinfully wrong. It offends truth and justice,” the Catholic prelate said.
“To deprive the people of the full truth is a form of robbery. It is keeping something not yours,” Villegas added.
The MBC said the impeachment process was not only a matter of legal procedure but also a critical test of governance and public accountability.
“If we do not follow the rule of law, how can we expect to attract foreign and even local investors to bring in long-term investments, which would lead to the creation of jobs?” the group said in a statement.
“The Senators, individually, and the Senate, as an institution, will betray public trust and deny the Vice President the forum to refute the charges if they do not proceed,” MBC said.
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) added: “To our Senators, this is a call for personal transcendence – transcend your personal and political interests, and fight for truth and justice. This was your vow when we elected you.”
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) likewise strongly urged the Senate to ensure that the rule of law takes precedence over political considerations.
The NCCP is a fellowship of 10 Protestant and non-Roman Catholic Churches in the Philippines denominations, and 10 service-oriented organizations in the Philippines.
“We are also deeply alarmed by the Vice President’s public declarations of threats and killings, statements that are inappropriate and unbecoming of such a leader, in such an honorable position entrusted with serving the people,” the group added.
The Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) said Escudero was “setting a bad example for the youth” amid the delays in the impeachment trial.
“This is a democratic mechanism to hold officials accountable who violate the trust of the people and the Constitution. And if the Senate won’t take this seriously, what good are our institutions?” SCAP said.
Rep. Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list said Escudero, as a lawyer, knows what the 1987 Constitution states on matters pertaining to the impeachment.
“We rally behind the call of various sectors—including the Catholic Church and academic institutions—that the Senate should not prolong the trial…The Constitution clearly states: It is the duty of the Senate to conduct a fair and prompt trial in impeachment cases. It is time for them to do so with courage, integrity, and concern for the people,” she said.
“We (House prosecutors) have been preparing for several months, and we are still preparing…That is our duty. We must be ready to present the evidence,” House prosecution member San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora sai
