Cebu groups to the Filipino public: Don’t look away from Impeachment Trial
CEBU CITY – Progressive groups here called on Filipinos nationwide to stay engaged and continue monitoring the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that public attention is key to holding those in power accountable.
On Monday, July 6, marked the first session of the impeachment trial of a sitting Philippine vice president. Duterte was represented by her 16-lawyer defense team led by lawyer Sheila Sison. Sara Duterte did not attend day one of the impeachment trial.
The trial opened with a contested vote on the presiding officer, after Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano argued that electing anyone other than sitting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian was unconstitutional. Senator-judges overruled the objection, voting 12-8 to install Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero instead. Escudero, who also presided over Sara’s first impeachment attempt in 2025, reiterated that conviction requires 16 affirmative votes, two-thirds of the chamber.
In her opening statement, lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville “Jinky” Luistro argued that the trial is not a distant matter and that it touches something that belongs to every Filipino: their money, their trust, and their right to demand accountability from those entrusted with public office.
“Public office is a public trust. Ang kapangyarihan ay di pag-aari ng isang official. Hiram lang ito sa taong bayan. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit nandito tayo ngayon,” said Luistro.
John Ruiz, the representative of the Makabayan bloc in Central Visayas, welcomed the start of the trial.
“We welcome this impeachment trial as the Senate becomes the court, the evidence will be revealed for the Filipino public to see,” he said in Cebuano.
“There is a need for us ordinary Filipinos to follow the impeachment proceedings as we cannot trust everything to the senator-judges, especially that from the get-go, we already know the division of these political groups,” Ruiz said.
“Whether they are from the group of Marcos or Duterte, we call on these senator-judges to be pro-people in making their decisions beyond their party lines,” Ruiz added.
In her opening statement for the defense, lSison argued that Sara’s 32 million votes in the 2022 election outnumbered the combined electoral base of the House members seeking to remove her from office, and even exceeded the votes Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received.
For Jaime Paglinawan, chairperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Central Visayas, the focus on Sara Duterte’s vote count is a deliberate distraction.
“They’re trying to sidetrack us from the real issue with the impeachment — the 32 million votes she got in the last election, and how these congressmen and senators are nowhere near those numbers,” Paglinawan said. “But that’s not the issue now. The issue is how and where she spent the confidential funds… and that’s not even counting the billions in unexplained wealth. That’s the biggest question.”
For fisherfolk leader Victor Lapaz of PAMANA SUGBO, Cebuano fisherfolk are attending to much more urgent issues. “We, fisherfolk, who are trying to feed the Filipino people are even struggling to eat,” said Lapaz.
“This is a chance for the system to change to serve the interest of the Filipinos. Everyone riddled with corruption should be jailed and be punished” Lapaz said. “Whether you’re from groups of Marcos or Duterte, you should be able to answer to the court and return the money to the people.” (AMU, RVO)
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