Religious, civil society groups slam impeach court ‘palusot’
The Catholic Church and various civil society organizations on Wednesday called on Filipinos to join the growing protest movement pressuring the Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty and denouncing its move to remand the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The Clergy for Good Governance, composed of 12 bishops and more than 200 priests, called for Catholics to join them in “prayerful unity and peaceful witness” at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cubao, Quezon City, today, which marks the country’s 126th Independence Day.
“We will witness the Filipino people rise—not in anger, but in peaceful hope. These days remind us of another moment in our history, when Filipinos gathered with courage and faith to uphold the common good. Then, as now, we are called to walk in the Spirit of justice and truth,” it said in a statement.
“May this Independence Day be a moment of grace, renewal, and moral courage. Let truth set our nation free,” it added.
‘Shameless abdication’
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) president Renato Reyes called the Senate’s action on Tuesday night as a “shameless abdication of their constitutional mandate that will not be soon forgotten.”
“What the Senate did tonight is unacceptable. After dribbling the ball for [four] months, the Senate sought to pass the ball back to the Lower House,” Reyes said in a statement released shortly after the Senate voted to remand the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives.
Reyes urged the public to join Bayan’s protest in front of the Senate office and condemned senators for “[undoing] what the Lower House and the people have achieved—the transmittal of the articles of impeachment.”
“Instead of a trial, we got legal gymnastics that smack of ‘palusot’ after ‘palusot’ (excuses after excuses). The spineless and weak sauce move to remand the articles of impeachment to the House deserves the strongest condemnation by the people,” he said.
Human rights group Karapatan also assailed the Senate, warning that such action “may result in the delay or suspension of [Duterte’s] impeachment trial or even in the dismissal of the charges against her altogether, albeit in a roundabout way.”
The public furor over the delay in the impeachment trial has also united Catholic and non-Catholic religious groups in the country.
Aglipayan, Baptists, etc.
In a statement on Tuesday, the “One Faith. One Nation. One Voice,” composed of members of different churches, academic institutions and lay groups, said the Filipino people deserve an impeachment trial that is “soberly presented, thoroughly interrogated and conscientiously adjudicated.”
“It is imperative that the impeachment process continues. Elected officials must not run roughshod over the people’s desire for truth, justice, and accountability. Let no corner be cut, let no stone be left unturned, let every credible witness and relevant evidence be presented,” it said.
Among the 56 signatories of the statement were Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, and Bishop Joseph Agpaoa, acting general secretary of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.
The Iglesia Filipina Independiente, or the Aglipayan Church, also joined the call led by its two former obispo maximo (supreme bishops), Most Revd. Rhee Timbang and Most Revd. Godfredo David.
Also part of the clamor were other members of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, namely Apostolic Catholic Church, Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Iglesia Evangelica Metodista En Las Islas Filipinas, Iglesia Unida Ecumenical, Lutheran Church in the Philippines, Salvation Army, and United Methodist Church.
The groups said the allegations of misuse of public funds by Duterte, both as vice president and former education secretary—notwithstanding the possibility that these may have been used for the commission of human rights violations—were “very serious crimes of corruption and a travesty of unchecked proportions.”
“Transparency is essential. All senators and House of Representatives members involved must rise above partisan politics to ensure public trust for the entire process. If not, the betrayal of public trust will become layers deep,” they said.
Spilling to provinces
The pressure on the Senate has spilled outside of Metro Manila with Bishop Alberto “Abet” Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran in Bohol and a group from Negros joining the clarion call.
“Let it be stated clearly: When a public official is accused of serious wrongdoing, it is a moral obligation of our democratic institutions to allow due process to take its course. No person is above the law—not even the highest-ranking leaders of the land,” Uy said in a statement dated June 9.
He invited all the faithful in the Diocese of Tagbilaran and beyond to pray and not be swayed by blind loyalty or bitterness.
Fear of truth
“Let us not forget: A nation that fears truth has already begun to fall. But a nation that faces the truth—however painful—is a nation on the path to healing,” he said.
In Bacolod City, about 250 Negrenses gathered in front of the San Sebastian Cathedral on Tuesday night to call on the senators to proceed immediately with the impeachment trial.
“We also strongly insist that all public officials must have accountability for their actions, words and decisions,” they said in a statement. —WITH REPORTS FROM LEO UDTOHAN AND CARLA GOMEZ
