Mass action to press impeach trial afoot

Progressive groups will stage a series of protests starting next week to press the Senate to convene as an impeachment court and “forthwith” proceed with the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The mass movement follows the senators’ purported plan to dismiss outright the articles of impeachment lodged by the House of Representatives.

Akbayan Party-list, civil society coalition Tindig Pilipinas, student and youth groups, and members of various organizations will troop to the Senate building in Pasay City to demand compliance with its constitutional duty and immediately start the impeachment trial.

Three-day mass actions will be held from Monday to Wednesday—the last session days before Congress adjourns sine die.

Akbayan, which topped the party-list race in the recently concluded elections with a commanding 2.8 million votes, accused the Senate leadership of deliberately stalling the impeachment proceedings, in blatant violation of their sworn duty.

Senator Imee Marcos, a staunch Duterte ally, confirmed that several versions of draft resolutions seek the de facto dismissal of the articles of impeachment against Duterte before they even reach the trial stage.

Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, a long-time Duterte supporter, admitted plans to initiate the dismissal.

Representative-elect Chel Diokno, who is set to join the panel of House prosecutors, asserted that such a move will amount to a brazen disregard of their duty to uphold accountability and will set a dangerous precedent for other politicians and future leaders.

“The Senate has a constitutional duty to conduct the trial and cannot simply dismiss it through a resolution. The continued delay in the proceedings and the attempt to dismiss the case through a mere resolution are deeply concerning, as it risks undermining the rule of law and the democratic principle of checks and balances,” he said.

“The Senate cannot be allowed to escape its duty based on limitations which they themselves seem to have designed. Upholding accountability and justice is a constitutional mandate of the Senate and a fundamental part of good governance,” Diokno said.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero moved the House prosecution’s presentation of the articles of impeachment from 2 to 11 June, citing the need to prioritize the passage of priority legislation of the administration.

The new date, however, falls on the last session day of the 19th Congress, two days before its sine die adjournment. Congress only holds sessions from Monday to Wednesday, effectively leaving the Senate with no choice but to take up the impeachment when the 20th Congress opens on 28 July.

Pro-impeachment groups, however, viewed this as a calculated move to strategically delay the proceedings to let the VP off the hook.

Akbayan president Rafaela David said this “unusual delay” only fuels growing suspicions that the senators favor Duterte—who is seen as the frontrunner in the 2028 presidential polls—for fear of political retaliation, especially in the next elections.

“If VP Sara’s allies in the Senate are adamant about defending her, then they should support commencing her impeachment trial. They will have all the chance to study the charges against her and cross-examine the documents and witnesses,” David said.

Over 100 faculty members of the University of the Philippines College of Law signed an open letter to the senators on Thursday, strongly urging them to proceed with Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Duterte, who was impeached by the House of Representatives on 5 February, is accused of graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and high crimes.

The House laid out seven articles of impeachment centered on an alleged assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and members of his family and the misappropriation of more than P600 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during Duterte’s tenure as its secretary.

Duterte has categorically denied the allegations. She said she’s ready for the trial, saying it would be a “bloodbath.”

The Senate’s apparent reluctance to immediately convene as an impeachment court has triggered concerns the senators are deliberately attempting to terminate the trial prematurely without hearing it.

Constitutionalists and legislators shared divergent views on whether the impeachment trial could proceed in the 20th Congress. Some experts said the Senate could no longer act on the impeachment in the 20th Congress, raising concerns that it may breach the Constitution which prohibits the filing of more than one impeachment case against the same official in a one-year period.

Under Senate Rule 44, unfinished business, such as bills and resolutions, shall be terminated upon the adjournment of every Congress, although they may be reintroduced as if newly filed in the succeeding Congress.

But House prosecutors insist impeachment is sui generis—a class of its own— and is not legislative in nature, and therefore is not subject to standard congressional rules.