Law educators, religious leaders urge Senate to begin Sara Duterte's impeachment case
Law deans and professors, as well as bishops, have spoken up regarding Vice President Sara Duterte's pending impeachment case and have urged senators to tackle the complaint as soon as possible.
In a joint statement, law educators from various universities such as San Beda University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, and more criticized the "brazen attempts" of members of the Senate to forestall Duterte's impeachment trial.
This was after Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III suddenly lost the position of Senate President when 13 senators voted to declare all seats vacant. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who is known to be a political ally of the Duterte family, then took over his role.
The coup was held on May 11, the same day when Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives for a second time.
The educators reminded senators that "refusing to sit as a Court of Impeachment is not a constitutional option," stressing that the Constution states that after the House votes in affirmance of the complaint, the trial "proceeds as a matter of course."
"Refusal of public officers to perform a duty imposed by law, particularly by the Constitution, constitutes dereliction of duty that is administratively actionable and conferring an undue advantage and benefit on a person not entitled to it is an indictable criminal offense under Republic Act No. 3019," the group said.
They also touched on the issue of Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who now has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, and urged law enforcers to cooperate with international legal processes should the lawmaker be made to stand trial.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines similarly appealed to the members of the Senate to proceed with Duterte's impeachment trial and vote according to evidence and "the demands of righteousness and justice."
"We urge the Senators to avoid any act that may be perceived as evading their sworn duty or circumventing the requirements of the Constitution," the CBCP said in a statement.
"You now have this opportunity to restore our people's faith and confidence in our public institutions that adhere to the rule of law and serve the common good in the pursuit of justice and truth," they added.
The organization also urged them not to postpone the trial as it would "delay justice for both the Filipino people and the Vice President."
"To our fellow Filipinos, let us fulfill our civic duties and responsibilities by ensuring a fair and credible trial so that all may see and hear clear, verified evidence and arguments. We must also remain vigilant in monitoring the proceedings," they highlighted.
"In this way, we uphold the truth, safeguard the integrity of public discourse, and strengthen our nation against misinformation, disinformation, and manipulation," they continued.
House lawmakers voted 257 in favor of impeaching Duterte during its first regular session. On the other hand, 25 members opposed the complaint, while nine abstained, and 27 did not vote.
This makes her the first official in the history of the Philippines to be impeached twice.
The articles of impeachment against Duterte cited allegations of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, and other high crimes. These include alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and an alleged assassination plot targeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and Rep. Martin Romualdez.
The articles will now be transferred to the Senate. If they find her guilty of the charges, Duterte will be removed from her current post and permanently barred from holding public office.