Senate urged to proceed with VP’s impeachment trial ‘without delay’

A MULTI-SECTORAL coalition on Wednesday called on the Senate to proceed with the trial of Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio “forthwith and without delay” once the House transmits the impeachment articles.

“This is not about defending or destroying the Vice-President. It is about upholding the sanctity of our democratic institutions, ferreting out the truth, and affirming that public office is a public trust,” the Roundtable for Inclusive Development (RFID) said in a statement.

The House of Representatives on Monday approved the impeachment articles against Ms. Duterte with 257 votes, with 25 against and nine abstentions. This is above the one-third vote needed to send the articles to the Senate for trial.

The RFID appealed to the Senate to also set the trial calendar and come up with an evidence-based verdict.

Newly elected Senate President Alan Peter S. Cayetano on Tuesday maintained that they would act on the impeachment “forthwith.”

“We won’t delay. There is no reason [to]. The country needs us,” he told reporters.

According to the Article XI, Section 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Senate has the power to convene as an impeachment court provided that at least a third of the House of Representatives affirms the complaint, with trials mandated to “proceed forthwith.”

However, in April, the Supreme Court clarified that the word “forthwith” means “within a reasonable time,” leaving the timing of the trial to the Senate’s discretion.

The RFID, in its plea to the Senate, said that immediately convening as an impeachment court is not political, but reflects the fulfillment of their sworn duty.

“A verdict must be rendered on the strength of facts, not on loyalty to person, party, or family alliance,” the RFID statement read.

Catholic prelate Pablo Virgilio S. David and former Senator Franklin M. Drilon were among the 28 who signed the RFID appeal.

As of May 13, the House has yet to transmit the impeachment articles to the Senate.

Ms. Duterte was impeached by the House for the second time on Monday, for alleged misuse of public funds and assassination threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., First Lady Marie Louise Aranate-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. 

Separately, education advocacy group Save Our Schools (SOS) Network on Wednesday called for the impeachment of Mr. Marcos and urged international accountability before the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing his administration of perpetuating “Duterte-era impunity” through continued killings, political persecution, and corruption.

In a statement, the group said the Marcos administration had failed to dismantle the “machinery of violence” established during the administration of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, citing ongoing drug-related killings, red tagging, attacks against activists and Lumad schools, and the alleged protection of officials linked to human rights violations.

According to the group, the impeachment of Ms. Duterte and the reported ICC arrest warrant against Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa demonstrate the deepening political and accountability crisis in the country.

The SOS Network also asserted that the state continues to protect officials implicated in alleged human rights violations, citing data from Dahas Project of the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center which allegedly recorded over 1,000 drug-related killings in the first three years of the Marcos administration.

The group also denounced alleged anomalies in flood control projects while many communities are still experiencing severe flooding and poverty.

According to the SOS Network, true accountability and justice are needed for victims of violence, corruption, and militarization in the country. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel and Pexcel John Bacon