A protest versus the Supreme Court’s impeachment ruling in Luzon*Bayan Timog Katagalugan photo
BAYAN-Negros is calling for a massive protest on Monday, July 28, coinciding with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address, to oppose the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision barring any impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte until February 6, 2026.
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, in a pastoral letter for justice and accountability released on Sunday, also expressed deep sadness and outrage over the SC’s decision.
“It feels like a betrayal — not just of the legal process, but of the people’s longing for truth and justice,” he said.
BAYAN-Negros urged Negrosanons to join the protest on Monday “to make clear that we reject a regime built on impunity, corruption, and foreign control.”
Participants will gather at 1 p.m. beside the Capitol Park and Lagoon at the South Capitol Road in Bacolod City, and march toward the Bacolod City Plaza for a rally at 1:30 p.m., Bayan Negros said.
The group described the SC’s decision to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Duterte as “a political shield masquerading as legal procedure.”
“From Marcos Jr.’s public indifference, to the Senate’s deliberate stalling, and now the SC’s legal gymnastics, every institution has closed ranks to preserve the status quo”, Bayan Negros added.
Alminaza, in his pastoral letter, acknowledged that the SC cites legal technicalities but emphasized that the core issue is: “public money was misused, and it is the poor — families battered by floods, students locked out of schools, farmers and workers losing income — who suffer the most.”
Alminaza said once again, the powerful are protected, truth is delayed and the cries of the people are silenced.
He warned those in the Lower House, Senate, Judiciary, and Executive branches that “God and the people are watching them.”
“Your failure to act with courage and transparency is part of a growing pattern — and the nation sees it clearly. We call on every citizen: Do not be discouraged. Stay vigilant. Keep the fire for justice alive”, he said.
The bishop also called on all parishes, church leaders, Catholic schools, lay movements, youth, and civic groups to raise their voices and stand together.
“Not just so Sara Duterte will answer for her actions, but so that a culture of truth and accountability may finally take root in our land,” he urged.
Alminaza stressed the critical need not to allow injustice to become normal, silence to become complicity, and darkness to drown out hope.*