By DIEGO MORRA
When Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla and Cynthia Villar refused to wear their robes as judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio, they made it abundantly clear that they should be kicked out since they had sworn to be impartial. If they could not abide by their oath and wear their robes symbolically, then just showed they are as bad as the emperor with no clothes.
Without their robes, this comical trio proved themselves as worse as Duterte trolls and Duterte Death Squad (DDS) hitmen or hitwomen. If they were not ready to receive evidence in the impeachment trial, weigh the same and render judgment, then they should inhibit themselves. These three senators have already prejudged the case, with Padilla arrogantly claiming “he would smell like Duterte even if you burn me” while Imee declared in shameless fashion she would be pro-Sara “till death.” As to Cynthia Villar, she had declared in no uncertain terms that her close ties with the Dutertes “preclude” her from convicting her.
If they are held in thrall by the Dutertes, if they are loyal to them down to their bones and if they cannot perform their duties as commanded by the 1987 Constitution, then they should resign immediately. What kind of bad drama are these characters acting out at the Senate proscenium? Apparently, Senate President Chiz “Runny Nose” Escuterte failed to impress upon his colleagues that they should have left their politics at the door and that it is pretty clear that judges are supposed to render “impartial justice” and not act as if Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio has them in her pocket. As in previous impeachment trials, both the prosecution and defense opted to have spokespersons, precisely to reduce the possibility of the respondent and the prosecutors speaking to their hearts’ content and spilling the beans, so to speak.
By their actions, ye shall know them, the Good Book said, and Imee, Robin and Cynthia have proven to all and sundry that they have originated from bad trees that cannot produce good fruit. The actions of these Senate clowns alienate the Senate from the people at large, considering that 88% of respondents surveyed by Social Weather Stations (SWS) and WR Numero wanted the impeachment trial to proceed forthwith, with 77% of those in Mindanao arguing they want to watch the trial to better understand the case and find out if the charges hold water. In short, Filipinos want to find out how the respondent and the senator-judges would comport themselves, how they would assess the evidence adduced and how the defense panel would debunk the ocean of documentary proof and testimonies amassed during the congressional inquiry.
Imee starred in bad theater, toyed with experimental films and acted with aplomb when “wayward” agents abducted the love of her life, while Robinhood (which is his given name) starred in forgettable flicks, ventured into politics in Nueva Ecija and got caught bristling with guns, charged and prosecuted and shipped to Bilibid. Now, he’s essaying the role of a loyal foot soldier to the capo de tutti capi, his political boss Rodrigo Duterte. As to Cynthia, being the empress of the Villaristan in Las Pinas, she can be Marie Antoinette and Empress Catherine, all rolled into one, and a loyal protector of the Sultan of Davao City and his daughter, Princess Sara. By the actions of these three, and their mumpsimus about their role in the impeachment trial, they cannot perform the duty of jurors. For them, the trial is political theater. There must have been some quantum entanglement of the gray matter among the members of clowning trio and Inday Sara.
Fortunately, protests have been widespread as the Makabayan Coalition, the religious sector, the National Union of People’s Lawyers, Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Kabataan, along with workers, farmers, government employees, doctors and health workers rose as one to denounce Runny Nose, Alan Peter Cayetano and the rest of the senators who tried to delay the proceedings by remanding the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives, which is not really the job of an impeachment court. Aware that any delay in the impeachment trial would be blamed on the Dutertes and their fuglemen in the Senate, Bato de la Rosa and Bong Go, the Sara camp grudgingly said she welcomed the trial.
So, the Dutertes will now have to reckon with a very expensive impeachment trial, just as they have bear with the legal fees of the foreign lawyers representing Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague that purportedly amount to 2.5-million euro monthly. The exchange rate on June 18, 2025 is P65.8071 for one euro, or P164.51 million a month. Fair enough for a poor family that denies having many bank accounts. The impeachment may yet unravel these mysterious bank accounts if ever the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) accedes to the command that they reveal such accounts. Such disclosure may finally prove or disprove the authenticity of bank documents that former senator Antonio Trillanes had secured.
Other senators sitting in judgment of Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio should pay heed to the public condemnation of the delaying tactics applied by the Senate President, the illegal resolution to dismiss the articles of impeachment prepared by de la Rosa and seconded by Bong Go and the appalling remanding of the complaint to the House of Representatives. This early, Alan Peter Cayetano, Joel Villanueva and others have earned the opprobrium of millions, all because they have shown their partisanship to Sara despite swearing that they would weigh the evidence and vote on the basis of evidence, not political alliance, not friendship and certainly not pork barrel. They broke their oath and people will remember this, long after the impeachment trial has ended and the 2028 election nears.
