STATEMENT | ACT Teachers Partylist on Chiz Escudero’s decision to delay the start of VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment proceedings

Senate’s Delay Tactics Expose Mockery of Accountability for Public Fund Misuse

We strongly condemn Senate President Francis Escudero’s decision to reset the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to June 11 – the very last session day before the 19th Congress permanently adjourns on June 13. This deliberate delay exposes a calculated scheme to kill the impeachment trial through procedural maneuvering rather than addressing the serious charges on their merits.

The Constitution is clear under Article XI, Section 3(4): when impeachment articles are filed by at least one-third of House members, “trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.” Forthwith means immediately, not after months of delay and political calculations. The impeachment articles were transmitted by the House to the Senate on February 5, yet the Senate has shamefully failed to act, first citing the midterm elections on May 12, and now prioritizing other legislative measures over constitutional duty.

What is particularly disturbing is how this delay strategy is seemingly being orchestrated across party lines. Right after the elections, President Marcos Jr. publicly expressed once again his opposition to the impeachment trial, despite overwhelming evidence of anomalies in the Vice President’s use of confidential funds. Days before Congress resumes session on June 2, a prominent leader of the traditional opposition, has become the first to articulate the legal argument for junking the trial – claiming the 20th Congress lacks jurisdiction over articles filed during the 19th Congress. Since then, numerous talking heads seem bent on convincing the public that the junking of the impeachment trial is all but inevitable.

Ultimately, the decision on whether the incoming Senate has jurisdiction to carry out the impeachment trail of the Vice president is political. The legal argument is a mere fig leaf meant to cover the cowardly retreat of the administration and its allies from engaging with the Duterte faction in the potentially explosive arena of an impeachment trial.

Nakakagalit na makita kung paano nagiging transactional ang accountability mechanism sa ating bansa. This exposes that there can be no true accountability for the misuse of public funds by high officials when the accountability mechanism is based on political calculations rather than the actual merits of the case. The strong evidence that has come to light against the Vice President after months of House investigation – including the discovery of fictitious names and suspicious receipts in confidential fund disbursements – is being completely disregarded.

As educators who witness daily how underfunding affects our schools and students, we are outraged that hundreds of millions in confidential funds allegedly misused by the Vice President may go unaccounted for due to political machinations. Habang nagkakakulang ang mga paaralan natin sa basic resources, may mga opisyal na nagwawaldas ng pondo ng bayan nang walang accountability.

The Senate’s delaying tactics make a mockery of our democratic institutions and constitutional processes. If impeachment proceedings can be killed through procedural technicalities and political alignments, then no high official will ever be held accountable for corruption and abuse of power.

We call on the Filipino people to see through this charade, continue to demand justice, and call for the impeachment trial to proceed until its conclusion. The ruling elite, whether from the administration or the so-called opposition, are protecting themselves and each other at the expense of genuine accountability and justice. #

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