House insists on Duterte impeachment trial despite public division
MANILA, Philippines — Regardless of public opinion on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment, House prosecutors say the trial must proceed because it is Congress’s constitutional duty.
“So regardless of the results of the survey, mataas man ang porsyento ng sumusuporta ng sumusuporta sa impeachment, this is mandatory for us to conduct a trial,” Rep. Gerville “JinkyBitrics” Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) said on July 9.
(So regardless of the survey results, even if a high percentage supports the impeachment, it is mandatory for us to conduct a trial.)
This comes after a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll showed 42% of Filipinos disagreeing with the complaint that impeached Duterte and 32% supporting it, despite no evidence having been presented yet, as the trial has not begun.
Senate delaying trial?
The same survey, however, also revealed that 44% believe the Senate is delaying the impeachment trial. Only one-fourth of the respondents do not think the Senate is deliberately derailing the impeachment proceedings, while 22% are undecided.
It has been five months since the articles of impeachment were transmitted to the Senate.
Luistro said Filipinos may have felt frustrated when the Senate did not immediately convene as an impeachment court, and later expressed disappointment when Congress resumed but the trial remained in limbo.
"So, come this 20th Congress, I believe that all Filipinos are waiting, expecting and anticipating that this time around, the long-awaited impeachment trial will finally push through," she said in Filipino.
Rep. Chel Diokno (Akbayan Party-list), invited to become a prosecutor, also believes that the Senate is violating the Constitution by stalling the trial.
The presentation of the impeachment articles, once scheduled for July 11, did not push through. After issuing a writ of summons to Duterte and sending the articles back to the House, the Senate removed the presentation entirely.
Filipinos entitled to see evidence
Luistro said that with the Duterte family still enjoying broad support, it’s no surprise that some Filipinos oppose the impeachment. This was reflected in the survey findings, which showed that 65% of respondents in Mindanao — Duterte’s political stronghold — opposed the impeachment.
But political differences in opinion shouldn't prevent the evidence from being heard, she added.
“The people are entitled to see the evidence of the prosecution. So at the end of the day, sabi ko naman, after we are done with the presentation of the evidence, they can either vote to convict or to acquit, so I believe there's nothing to lose,” she said.
Diokno stressed that even if the senator-judges are the ones who will decide whether to acquit or convict the impeached official, Filipinos have all the right to judge based on the evidence to be presented by the prosecution.
“The Filipino people need to see the evidence,” Diokno said in Filipino. “In an impeachment trial, judgment isn’t just from senator-judges—it’s from the entire nation.”
Opposed, but still want trial
While many Filipinos oppose Duterte’s impeachment, this doesn’t mean they don’t want the trial to take place.
Past surveys show that 80% to 90% of Filipinos support holding a trial — whether to clear the Vice President or hold her accountable for the charges against her.
Still, the process remains in stalemate, with motions to dismiss already being raised by senator-judges before any evidence is even presented.
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