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Vice President Sara Duterte answers questions from the media about the arrest of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, over an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity outside Gate 1 of Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, March 11.
Philstar.com / Martin Ramos
MANILA, Philippines — Following earlier appeals from universities, Catholic educational institutions have now called on the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a statement on Monday, June 8, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), which represents Catholic schools across the country, said that proceeding “without further delay” with Duterte’s impeachment is a “constitutional imperative as affirmed by legal and constitutional experts.”
“This is the moral imperative, to search for the truth, to defend the impeached, and to uphold the rule of law,” the group’s statement read.
“This is also the democratic imperative, to protect our principles of due process, checks and balance, transparency and public accountability,” it added.
The CEAP also urged senators to rise above individual and political interests, calling on them to honor their vow to serve the Filipino people.
“This was your vow when we elected you. This was your commitment to the Filipino people. This was the promise you made to your God, who blessed you with the power to lead and serve,” the group said.
“We pray that you honor your vow, commitment, and blessing, with spiritual discernment, courage, and action,” it added.
Universities' call. On Sunday, June 8, the deans of five Ateneo law schools and the University of Santo Tomas also urged the Senate to immediately commence the impeachment trial of Duterte.
The universities demanded a fair, impartial, and swift resolution of the case, stressing that doing so would uphold accountability in public office and honor constitutional due process.
Last week, the University of the Philippines College of Law and De La Salle University also issued statements urging the Senate to proceed, emphasizing the continuing nature of the Senate’s responsibility to handle impeachment cases.
Threats to dismiss impeachment
The surge in statements came after Sen. Francis Tolentino said on June 2 that if the Senate fails to conduct the trial before the 19th Congress adjourns on June 30, the impeachment case against Duterte would be considered “functionally dismissed.”
Sen. Bato Dela Rosa also revealed that he and other senators are drafting a resolution to dismiss the complaint.
Questionable conduct. Vice President Sara Duterte faces impeachment following the House of Representatives’ approval of seven articles of impeachment against her, citing a range of serious offenses.
The complaint accuses Duterte of making death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and the House Speaker, as well as publicly expressing violent intentions toward the president.
She is also charged with misusing over P254 million in confidential funds through “ghost expenses” and questionable disbursements, some of which were disallowed by the Commission on Audit.
Additional allegations include bribing former Department of Education officials with monthly cash envelopes, amassing unexplained wealth totaling P2 billion not reflected in her official asset declarations, and being linked to extrajudicial killings associated with the Davao Death Squad during her tenure as Davao City mayor.
The impeachment articles further claim she incited sedition and political turmoil by sowing division within the government, and that her tenure has been marked by gross abuse of power and betrayal of public trust.
