Groups hold protest vs SC ruling in VP Sara impeachment

Groups critical of Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday denounced the Supreme Court decision that declared the impeachment complaint against her as unconstitutional.

Separate protest actions in Quezon City were conducted by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Akbayan, and Tindig Pilipinas following the ruling, which said that the impeachment complaint pending before the Senate violated the one-year bar rule and right to due process.

The SC decision is immediately executory but a motion for reconsideration may be filed.

‘’Their decision tilted the scales of justice in favor of VP Sara Duterte,” Akbayan Representative Perci Cendaña said.

Bayan chairperson Teddy Casiño said the high court’s decision was ‘’erroneous.’’

‘’The SC decision is not only erroneous. It is insidious as it encroaches on the exclusive power of Congress over the impeachment process and undermines the system of checks and balances among the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. It is dangerous because it makes it more difficult for ordinary citizens to hold public officials accountable, encouraging wrongdoing and impunity at the highest levels of governance,’’ he said.

Cendaña urged the House and the Senate to assert their independence by exhausting all legal means to continue the impeachment trial.

Senators have expressed different opinions regarding the ruling, with some urging respect and others pushing for the trial to proceed. —Jamil Santos/VBL, GMA Integrated News