Impeachment Trial as a Civilized Legal Process
Leila De Lima and Chel Diokno, incoming representatives of the Mamamayang Liberal and Akbayan party-lists, emphasized on Monday that the impeachment trial is a civilized legal process. They made these remarks following Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement last Saturday expressing a desire for a “bloodbath” during the proceedings.
Both De Lima and Diokno have accepted roles as members of the House prosecution panel tasked with handling the impeachment trial of the Vice President before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court. Diokno explained, “Hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling ‘yun dahil ang impeachment trial ay isang civilized legal process at ang mangyayari doon ay malalaman ng buong bansa ang katotohanan.” (I don’t know where it’s coming from because the impeachment trial is a civilized legal process. Because of it, the country will know the truth.)
He added that the Akbayan party-list, which secured the highest number of votes in the recent party-list race, supports the impeachment to “know the truth, exact accountability, and pursue justice for the country.”
Responses to VP Sara Duterte’s Remarks
De Lima suggested that Vice President Duterte’s provocative comments aim to “court sympathy” as the trial approaches. She said, “Siguro ganon ang ginagawa ni VP Sara para lalo siyang, alam mo na, she’s trying to court sympathy dahil mapalapit na nga yung impeachment trial.” (Perhaps, VP Sara is doing that because she’s trying to court sympathy because the impeachment trial is drawing near.)
De Lima further clarified the nature of the proceedings, stating, “Hindi po ganon ang impeachment proceedings. Sagrado po ang constitutional process of impeachment na dapat wala itong puwang para sa kaguluhan, para sa chaos, para sa drama or para sa theatrics.” (The impeachment proceedings aren’t a bloodbath. The constitutional process of impeachment is sacred and should have no space for chaos, drama, or theatrics.) She stressed that the rule of law must guide the impeachment process.
Articles of Impeachment Against the Vice President
The House of Representatives impeached the Vice President on February 5, citing betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. The impeachment complaint includes seven articles:
- Alleged conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez;
- Alleged malversation of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds with questionable liquidation;
- Alleged bribery and corruption in the Department of Education during Duterte’s tenure involving cash handouts to officials;
- Alleged unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets, with a fourfold increase from 2007 to 2017;
- Alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City;
- Alleged destabilization efforts, including boycotting the State of the Nation Address, declaring herself “designated survivor,” leading protests, obstructing investigations, and threatening harm;
- The overall conduct of the Vice President as the country’s second highest official.
Confidence in the Evidence and Trial Outcome
Both incoming representatives disputed claims that they have been “anti-Duterte since birth,” insisting their concerns are issue-based rather than personal. When asked about the strength of the prosecution’s case, De Lima confidently stated, “We are confident.” She added, “Hindi sana ako um-oo, hindi sana ako pumayag na maging part of the prosecution panel kung ang sa tingin ko ay hindi malakas ang kaso.” (I would not have said yes to becoming a part of the prosecution panel if I didn’t think the case was strong.)
De Lima noted that there are substantial pieces of evidence gathered during House hearings that can be presented during the impeachment trial.
Expectations for a Fair and Orderly Trial
Iloilo Representative Lorenz Defensor, also a prosecutor in the trial, expressed hope that the process would not devolve into a “bloodbath.” He said, “Maganda sigurong sabihin natin na ‘winner takes it all’ ang impeachment trial na ito. Hindi kailangan maging bloodbath. Gusto natin malinaw lang ang pagkakatatag ng ebidensya ng prosecution at ng defense teams.” (It would be better to say it will be a winner-takes-all scenario. We don’t need a bloodbath. What we need is a clear presentation of evidence from both the prosecution and defense teams.)
Defensor further emphasized the importance of preparedness and acceptance of the trial outcome, stating, “Gusto ko makita na handa si Vice President para sakaling ma-acquit siya… madaling tanggapin ng taumbayan, madaling tanggapin ng 215 members of Congress who signed the impeachment complaint. At sana, ‘wag pakialaman ng ating Korte Suprema ang impeachment. This is a purely political process.” (I want to see the Vice President well prepared so that if she is acquitted, the public and lawmakers who signed the impeachment complaint will accept it. And I hope the Supreme Court will not interfere with the impeachment because this is a purely political process.)
For more news and updates on impeachment trial, visit Filipinokami.com.