ILOILO City — Progressive organizations led by the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) Panay staged a protest rally in Iloilo City, calling on the Senate impeachment court to convict Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio as her historic impeachment trial formally commenced.
Coinciding with what they described as the first impeachment trial of its kind in Philippine history, the demonstrators demanded an impartial and credible trial while urging student leaders and the public to intensify pressure for Duterte-Carpio’s conviction and removal from office through sustained mass actions.
The protesters also broadened their accountability campaign by accusing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of enabling corruption through his approval of what they described as an anomaly-ridden national budget.
NUSP Panay cited what it claimed was mounting evidence of corruption involving the Vice President, including the alleged misuse of Confidential and Intelligence Funds (CIF) and billions of pesos in undeclared wealth.
“Since 2024, we have witnessed mounting evidence of grave corruption, plunder, and a severe betrayal of public trust by Sara Duterte. This ranges from the misuse of millions of pesos in Confidential and Intelligence Funds (CIF) to billions in undeclared wealth, among other anomalies. Therefore, it is only right that the Senate Impeachment Court finds the defendant, Sara Duterte, guilty and convicts her,” the group said in a statement.
“The Senate Impeachment Court must find Sara Duterte guilty and convict her. Under her leadership, there has been a stark failure to uphold human rights or deliver genuine public service. Instead, her tenure has been marked by plunder, the persecution of political critics, and protection for human rights violators,” the group added.
The organization stressed that securing accountability should not depend solely on the impeachment proceedings inside the Senate.
“We must not simply wait; we must take to the streets and demand her conviction and removal from office. History has taught us the power of massive people’s protests, as seen in the ousting of Marcos Sr. and Erap. It is time to rise again,” the group declared.
As part of its preparations for the People’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, NUSP Panay announced a series of public activities, including a Public Forum on Accountability and Transparency on July 10, a State of the Peasant Address on July 17, the State of the Youth Address on July 18, the State of the Press Address on July 25, and the People’s SONA on July 27.
The group said these activities aim to deepen public discussion on governance, transparency and accountability while encouraging student leaders across Panay to participate in the campaign for systemic reforms./PN
