Iloilo, where I live and work, is no stranger to the consequences of public officials ducking accountability. I have seen how a delayed procurement, an ignored audit report, or a quietly junked investigation can make things worse for ordinary people — farmers who do not receive promised subsidies, teachers with delayed pay, barangay health workers waiting for hazard pay that vanishes in the paperwork. That is why this issue matters. When powerful people are allowed to dodge scrutiny, the costs trickle down to those who least deserve to suffer.
The public, it turns out, agrees. A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from May 2 to 6, 2025, commissioned by Stratbase, found that 88% of Filipinos believe Vice President Sara Duterte should face the impeachment charges head-on—with 68% saying she “definitely should” and 20% saying she “probably should.” Only 7% said she should avoid the issue. This was the second highest priority respondents gave her, just behind calls for her to “collaboratively work to prioritize the nation’s needs.” The message is loud and clear: accountability is not just a legal requirement, but a public demand. And that demand crosses social, economic, and political divides.
And yet, this moment is not without hope. When law students, political science professors, and civil society groups speak out — as they have, from UP, La Salle, Lyceum, and Adamson Colleges of Law to the Ateneo Human Rights Center and the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) — they remind us that truth does not always need a gavel or a headline to be seen. CenPEG Chair Prof. Roland Simbulan has said that the Senate’s delay threatens not just one case, but the foundation of democratic governance. Inaction, he argues, is a form of complicity.
Still, this article is not about attacking Vice President Sara Duterte personally. Like any public official, she deserves due process and the opportunity to defend herself. But let that process happen. Let it take place not in rumor mills, press briefings, or social media threads, but in the Senate floor, where evidence is presented, examined, and weighed. We are not asking for conviction. We are asking for fairness, for the trial to begin as the Constitution demands. That is what any public servant should welcome if they have nothing to hide.
This is also not about hating political families or idolizing another. The impeachment process must be depersonalized. It is not about who wins in 2028. It is about who does what now. Senate President Chiz Escudero, as presiding officer, has the chance to either uphold the Constitution or reduce it to a suggestion. Some whisper he is playing safe to preserve alliances. Others say he is angling for future endorsements. But real leadership is not about staying in power. It is about doing what is right, even if it costs you everything.
One can look at this moment as an exercise in civic courage. A kind of Ignatian examen—a pause to reflect not only on the decisions made but the intentions behind them. Are our lawmakers acting out of fear, ambition, or conscience? Are they truly protecting the institutions they swore to serve, or merely playing the long game of political survival? We, the public, are not passive spectators in this unfolding drama. Our silence can either greenlight shortcuts or signal that we will not be fooled.
In classrooms across the country, especially in public schools where many teachers struggle with little support, we teach our students to stand up, speak truth, and act with integrity. If we demand that from our youth, we must demand it even more from those who sit in the highest halls of government. Let the trial begin. Let the Senate act not as a shield but as a mirror of our democratic values.
The call is simple and just: Honor the Constitution. Let the process run its course. No shortcuts. No excuses. The real danger is not the trial itself—it is the refusal to hold one. Because when the powerful are no longer held to account, the powerless have nowhere left to turn.
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Doc H fondly describes himself as a ‘student of and for life’ who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world that is grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views herewith do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed or connected with./PN
