Negrenses calling for the impeachment trial light candles in front of the San Sebastian Cathedral Tuesday evening.*Ronnie Baldonado photos
About 250 Negrenses gathered in front of the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City Tuesday night to call on the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte and allow the truth to prevail.
“We Negrosanons call on the senators to proceed immediately with the impeachment trial against VP Sara Duterte in a fair and just process”, a statement signed by the participants said.
“We also strongly insist that all public officials must have accountability for their actions, words and decisions,” they said.
They said they were issuing the statement so truth and justice will prevail in the country.
Duterte is accused of misusing public funds and other misdeeds, which she has denied.
Suspicions have been raised that her political allies are trying to derail the impeachment trial.
Senators took their oaths as judges of the impeachment court on Tuesday evening, formally opening the trial of the vice president.
The Negrenses calling for the impeachment trial also lit candles in front of the Cathedral as a symbol of the call for the Senators to be “the light of truth”, Fr. Mao Buenafe said.
The candles were arranged to form into the word “litisin (litigate)” to stress their call for a trial, he added.
Former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela said their call for the impeachment trial is not about politics, it is about allowing the truth to prevail.
The Senate has a constitutional duty to conduct the impeachment trial, the people have the right to know the truth, Joy Jarabelo, Federation of Urban Poor head, also said.
Buenafe said their gathering was also in support of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) call for the senators to immediately proceed with the impeachment trial.
The Senate has a constitutional duty to conduct the impeachment trial, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the CBCP, said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
“We appeal to all senators, especially to those in leadership, to allow the constitutional process to proceed without obstruction. If there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear,” he said.
David said as president of the CBCP he speaks not in the name of any political group or interest, but from the perspective of the Church’s social teaching, which calls for moral responsibility, accountability, and the primacy of the common good in public life.
“The Senate of the Republic of the Philippines has a constitutional duty to act on impeachment cases brought before it. This duty is not optional. It is a solemn mandate arising from the principle of checks and balances enshrined in our democratic system,” David said.
“When politics serves only partisan interest, it degenerates into manipulation; but when it is guided by conscience and the common good, it becomes a noble service,” he added.
“To delay, dismiss, or ignore such a process for reasons of political convenience is to betray the Constitution and the people’s trust. As stewards of public office, senators are not only answerable to the law but are also bound in conscience to act with integrity and impartiality,” David said.
“Public officials must transcend partisan interests and act in a spirit of justice and truth. The search for truth is not a political agenda; it is a moral imperative,” he added.
The University of St. La Salle – College of Law Student Council also issued a statement urging the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial.
“Delaying the trial perpetuates injustice to the Filipino people, who placed the members of the Senate in the respective seats they presently occupy, imbued with the public’s trust to serve their fellowmen and the country. Not only is it unjust for the Filipino people, but also to the Vice President,” it said.
Through this trial, the vice president is allowed to clear the allegations by presenting her defense to the quasi-judicial body, it said.
The USLS College of Law student body hopes that the Philippine legal system remains at work in upholding justice, accountability, and genuine public service, the statement added.*