“The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) applauds the second impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte in the House of Representatives on May 11. We urge the Senate to pursue an immediate and fair trial,” said ICHRP Vice Chairperson, Patricia Lisson.
The impeachment result comes amid relentless campaigning in the past two years of Philippine human rights organizations clamoring for justice in the face of massive corruption by Philippine government officials. ICHRP warns against all maneuvers of the Duterte clan and its allies to obstruct justice in the coming days.
The House justice committee found probable cause for four impeachable offenses committed by Duterte, including: violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, bribery and high crimes. These offenses are based on misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, alleged monetary gifts to Department of Education officials, and threats to assassinate the current President, his wife, and former Speaker of the House Martin Romauldez.
On the same day of the impeachment decision, chaos erupted on the Senate floor.
Present on the floor for the first time in six months was Senator “Bato” dela Rosa, whom the National Bureau of Investigation tried to prevent from entering due to a previous subpoena to which he did not respond. Subsequently, the Senate moved to replace Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto with Alan Cayetano, a Duterte ally, and dela Rosa voted in favor. Present in the senate building was former Senator Antonio Trillanes, who presented an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Bato, which has since been confirmed.
“Like Father, like daughter. There clearly appears to be maneuvers on the part of Sara Duterte and her supporters to evade accountability and a trial,” said Lisson. “But the arrest of Sara’s father and now the warrant for dela Rosa are sending a clear message: accountability cannot be avoided for those who perpetrate crimes against the people. This is true for the Dutertes, and also for the Marcos regime, who have escaped years of ill gotten wealth and now sit atop massive corruption scandals and a litany of war crimes against the people.”
Amid the impunity that remains for the Duterte and Marcos dynastic families and the worsening political and economic crisis, ICHRP remains vigilant in supporting the Filipino people’s assertion of their rights for transparency, for the upholding of democratic processes, for their livelihood and for self-determination.
