By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

AT the rate the impeachment fever is affecting most everyone, we may soon see a loose cannonball that’s going to wreak havoc aimlessly in our faces.

Yet, if one looks closely at the facts, there’s hardly anything that should make people highly emotional about the impeachment of VP Sara, unless one is bent on drawing political blood for political agenda – depending on one’s affiliations with the Marcos administration, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, or VP Sara Duterte herself.

First of all, what is it about the impeachment complaint that drew partisan lines to see her convicted or acquitted?

In fact, if one cares to read opinions, perceptions about the impeachment, even the specific charges leveled against her, are not mentioned. Not one in the past 3 days has aired an argument for or against the impeachment, citing specific charges.

So, before anyone speculates who has since decided to convict or acquit her, know that only a handful know the details of the four complaints prepared by the House of Representatives.

I ask – which particular complaint could VP Sara be guilty of or be acquitted of when no evidence has been presented nor rebuked by legal arguments?

And what are the complaints?

On December 2, 2024, the first formal impeachment case lodged against Vice President Sara Duterte listed 24 articles, which were categorized into four points: graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes. Aside from corruption, other cited reasons include her alleged role in the extrajudicial killings of the drug suspects and failure to make a stance against China’s aggressive sovereignty claims in the South China Sea dispute.

The second impeachment complaint against Duterte was filed on December 4, 2024, by 70 members of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. They cited a single reason: betrayal of public trust over the illegal use and mishandling of confidential funds, specifically, committing “gross abuse of discretionary powers” over the ₱612.5 million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.

Then, on December 5, 2024, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco disclosed that a third complaint by select members of the House of Representatives and by a group of religious workers, lawyers, and civil society workers in the House of Representatives against Duterte on December 19 for betrayal of public trust.

On February 5, 2025, 215 members of the House of Representatives signed an impeachment complaint against Duterte on charges that include corruption, plotting to assassinate President Bongbong Marcos, involvement in extrajudicial killings, and incitement to insurrection and public disorder.

So, pray tell! Among all four complaints passed by congressmen, which of these possibly weighs more with substantial evidence, would anyone really know?

Understanding how each of the senator-judges will have to navigate through legal debates, can any of the millions who have prejudged the complaints possibly know more?

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DELAYED JUSTICE? Now comes the looming loud protest that justice is delayed because the Senate decided to remand the impeachment complaint back to the House of Representatives.

Since when did Filipinos seriously really cry against delayed justice, and expect government officials to rush to push it forward?

The impeachment trial is a mere political exercise provided by the Constitution. Today, the accused is the vice president, who has no definite role in government except to take over if the president is incapacitated. She’s not going anywhere!

Are Filipinos really rushing to see the VP found guilty or acquitted for her sake? Or is it because Filipinos can’t wait for the full drama to be played out between another feisty Duterte and the 2028 wannabes led by the Romualdez-Araneta tandem?

And why are the universities also suddenly pushing for the impeachment trial to start when the trial is not expected to impact the campus schedules? Then, as if on cue, our Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Soc Villegas lends his own voice decrying the “delay” as well. Aaah… the anti-Duterte forces are not about to let the opportunity to capitalize on this political drama pass by without their voices heard!  

The urgency, in fact, to proceed with the impeachment trial is stated in the rules – to enable both the Houses of Congress to continue with their legislative functions after completing the impeachment trial.

Curiously, none of the congressmen and their hordes of followers are invoking this. Why should they? Almost all, if not most of them, who signed the impeachment complaint, and those who compose the prosecution panel are already well compensated for their time and signatures.

It’s a different situation for the senator-judges. Those who have pending bills ready for third reading can’t wait for the trial to end.  No additional compensation there.

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ORDER IN CITY STREETS. It’s great to see the Dagupan POSO doing all to improve traffic flow in the city’s commercial district.

I hope it will soon implement a parking policy for motorcycles, providing painted parking areas that will force them to park on the streets the way they should. And like other motorists, they should only limit their parking in those designated areas.

And tricycles should be limited to their loading and unloading areas in intersections.

Hopefully, Dagupan will yet be known to have the best organized traffic plan for motorcycles and tricycles in the region.

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