📷: Militant groups held a protest in front of the Senate to call for the continuation of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.| Kodao Productions
Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) staged a protest on Tuesday afternoon, calling on the Senate to push forward with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, despite a Supreme Court ruling that deemed the House’s Articles of Impeachment “unconstitutional.”
The rally coincided with the second session of the 20th Congress, where senators began deliberating whether to pursue the trial. BAYAN warned that prematurely shelving the case would compromise the Senate’s integrity and further erode public trust in government institutions.
“It would be absurd and hypocritical for them to echo President Bongbong Marcos’ SONA statements against corruption, while quietly conspiring to dismiss the impeachment of Duterte,” the group declared.
The Senate has deferred its final decision to its August 6 session, in light of the Supreme Court’s rejection of the impeachment charges.
BAYAN emphasized that abandoning the trial would expose the anti-corruption posture of Marcos and the legislature as a facade.
“It sends a dangerous message—that elected officials can steal with impunity and use the Supreme Court’s new doctrine to avoid accountability,”_ the group asserted.
Protesters voiced anger over alleged misuse of public funds, demanding transparency and justice. They warned the Senate of public backlash if it maneuvers to block the trial.
“This is a grand conspiracy to shield Duterte from punishment for her crimes against the Filipino people. Let us reject this broken system that protects the powerful and tramples efforts for truth, justice, and accountability.” (ZIA LUNA)
