Opposition to Senators: Are you protecting VP Sara or the public interest?

Are the Senators protecting the Vice President Sara Duterte instead of the public interest?

Opposition lawmakers and impeachment complainants from the Makabayan coalition asked this question on Tuesday in response to Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero’s statement that the convening of the Senate impeachment court for the trial of impeached Vice President Duterte depends on the plenary vote of the senators, even though the Constitution states that a Senate impeachment trial “shall forthwith proceed” once a verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the members of the House.

“To the Senate as an institution, malinaw naman iyong mandato nila mula sa Constitution na talagang wala silang choice kundi gampanan iyong kanilang tungkulin na mag proceed roon sa impeachment trial. Habang hindi nila ginagawa iyong kanilang tungkulin, naproproteksiyonan rito iyong may kasalanan sa taumbayan: si Vice President Sara Duterte,” House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro said in a press conference.

(The Senate has a clear mandate in the Constitution: they are required to proceed with the impeachment trial. While they are neglecting their duty, they are protecting someone who wronged the people: Vice President Sara Duterte.)

“Kaya kailangan ituloy ‘yun [impeachment]. Kaya hinahamon po yung mga senador. Lalong lalo na ‘yung mga nananalo diyan. Talagang patunayan ninyo na  gagawin ninyo ‘yung inyong obligasyon sa taong bayan,” she added.

(That is why we need to proceed with the impeachment trial. I challenge the senators, especially those who won in the 2025 elections. Prove to us that you will act according to your mandate given by those who voted for you.) 

Kabataan party-list Representative Raoul Manuel agreed, saying that turning a blind eye to the Vice President’s apparent questionable disbursement of P612 million in confidential funds is tantamount to committing corruption.

“Okay lang ba sa ibang makapangyarihan na iba-iba ang standards pagdating sa pagpapanagot ng mga kurakot kasi pare-pareho lang rin pala sila na mga kurakot na pinoprotektahan ang isa't isa? ‘Yan ang tanong natin. Para sa mga senador na humaharang sa impeachment trial, maliit na bagay lang ba ang P612.5 million na confidential funds?” Manuel said.

(Is it okay for some of these powerful public officials that the ways of exacting accountability vary because they are all corrupt just the same? That is our question. To those senators blocking the impeachment trial, is P612.5 million a pittance to you?)

“Nasanay na ba sila sa korapsyon? Kaya parang wala lang sa kanila ang maraming lumabas na ebidensiya ng paglustay ng impeached Vice President sa pera ng bayan? Habang pinoprotektahan nila ang kakayahan ng isa't isa na gamitin ang pera ng bayan para sa sariling interes, lalong na pag-iiwanan ang taong bayan. Kaya ang panawagan po natin, no more delays, no more dribbling. Start the impeachment trial now,” Manuel, one of the over 200 lawmakers who signed the impeachment complaint against the Vice President alongside Castro, said.

(Have they become so used to corruption that is nothing to them that so much evidence has emerged of the Vice President misusing the nation's money? While they are protecting each other's ability to use public money for their own interests, the Filipino people are more and more left behind.)

Escudero said that the Senate plenary vote is supreme, but prior to this, he had said that the Senate impeachment court could not be convened because the House impeached the Vice President on February 5 which is the last session day before Congress adjourned to give way for the campaign period for the May 12 midterm polls.

Over 200 congressmen endorsed the impeachment campaign against the Vice President who is accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes mainly over alleged misuse of around P612.5 million worth of confidential funds and threatening to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., his wife Liza and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

'Secrecy and lies'

In a separate statement, Akbayan party-list Representative Perci Cendaña asked the Senate President if he was afraid of the Vice President to begin with due to the delays.

"Natatakot ba siya kay Sara Duterte? Hindi po ito Paris Fashion Week. Convening the Senate as an impeachment court is a solemn constitutional duty, not a seasonal accessory you put on or discard depending on the political weather, or one’s personal agenda,” Cendaña said. 

(Is he afraid of Vice President Duterte? This is not Paris Fashion Week.) 

“It is a uniform of duty worn whenever the Constitution demands it,” he added.

In a separate privilege speech, Castro said that the Senate should hold the Vice President accountable over the disbursement of the confidential funds, as the amount was funded by taxpayers’ money.

“Ginoong Speaker,  ito po ay mula sa pawis at hirap ng ating mamamayan, buwis na dapat sana’y ginamit para sa serbisyo publiko. Ang korapsyon at kalokohang naglustay sa mga pondong ito ay hindi dapat hinahayaang pagtakpan gamit ang lihim, dilim, at kasinungalingan,” Castro said.

(This huge amount of money comes from the sweat and tears of our people, taxpayers' money that should have been allocated to social services. The corruption and misconduct that embezzled these funds must not be allowed to be hidden by secrecy, darkness and lies.)

“Malinaw ang utos ng Saligang Batas:  Ang paglilitis ng Senado sa impeached official ay dapat agad na isagawa—'trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed'— sa oras na pinadala ang Articles of Impeachment na sinang-ayunan ng hindi bababa sa isang-katlo ng mga Miyembro ng Kapulungang ito. Tila tinalikuran na ng Senado, sa pamumuno ni Senate President Chiz Escudero, ang tungkulin nito bilang impeachment court, at ito ay tahasang paglabag sa Saligang Batas at pagtataksil sa panawagan ng mamamayan para sa pananagutan," Castro added.

(The Constitution is clear that the trial of an impeached official must forthwith proceed once one third of House members have endorsed a comlpaint. It seems the Senate, led by Senate President Chiz Escudero, is neglecting its duty as an impeachment court—and this is a violation of the Constitution and a betrayal of the people's call for accountability.)

Bayan president Renato Reyes, for his part, said the Senators should think long and hard because being silent on accountability will eventually catch up on them.

Reyes referenced the 2001 impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada, which was upended due to the lack of senator-judges' votes for the opening of the second envelope that would supposedly show strong evidence of Estrada’s involvement in corruption.

Since the second envelope was not opened, throngs of people packed EDSA, calling for Estrada’s resignation, if not conviction before the Senate impeachment court. The days-long protests were followed by the military and police to withdraw support to Estrada, prompting him to leave Malacañang.

Then Vice President Gloria Arroyo was installed as President.

“We are confident in the evidence that the prosecutors will present. We are confident that if we are able to present the evidence, maiintindihan ito at susuportahan ito ng taong bayan at kikilos ang taong bayan para hilingin ang pananagutan [the Filipino people will understand and support and they will move to seek accountability]. We did not have the numbers to open the second envelope in 2001, but it triggered something more important: it triggered people power,” Reyes said.

Estrada was eventually detained for six years and convicted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan in 2007. Arroyo pardoned him in October 2007 or six weeks after his conviction.

In a separate statement, Escudero said he should not be blamed for the delays because the House also took four months before sending the impeachment complaint to the Senate.

"They also took time to act on this. This is not a case of them wanting something to happen and it will happen. They also took time to act and that is their right," he said. — BM, GMA Integrated News