The impeachment process against VP Sara is not a witch hunt
The impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte is a way for her to explain and defend herself in the Senate court, and to find the TRUTH and her accountability.
The Senate must be trusted in revealing the truth about the alleged graft and corruption on the Vice President’s use of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds, including P125 million in 11 days upon assuming office in 2022. The people deserve the truth. It is their taxes, and taxes are meant to benefit the public.
The Vice President was impeached by 240 lawmakers, who signed complaints for alleged fund misuse, unexplained wealth, alleged murder plots, and betrayal of public trust.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who said the impeachment trial is “witch-hunting,” is not only wrong; he is also wrong about witches of the old, who in truth, were harassed, suffered, and burned by the state because they defied the normalcy of patriarchal rule and culture. Those witches were peasants who resisted and protested against oppression; healers who practiced medicine to provide relief and restoration of health.
“Witches are accused of every conceivable sexual crime against men. Quite simply, they are ‘accused’ of female sexuality. They are accused of being organized. Third, they are accused of having magical powers affecting health, of harming, but also of healing. They were often charged specifically with possessing medical and obstetrical skills.” (“Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers,” Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English)
The witch hunt in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe killed thousands of women. Women who practiced healing and cared for the sick were accused of being witches. They were midwives, sages, leaders, and influencers. They have exemplified powers to mitigate and lessen the suffering of the sick and the pain of giving birth. Some peasant women who fought for their livelihoods and land were also accused of being witches. They were victims of state authority.
VP Sara is not a victim. She needs to explain through the impeachment process, and she is fortunate that due process is afforded to her. VP Sara is far from the witches who were victims of patriarchy and terror of the state.
On another note, witch-hunting is akin to Red-tagging that victimizes so many human rights defenders, activists, and those who are protesting against corruption and abuses. Red-tagging was when VP Duterte accused the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, as a ”lover of the useless ideologies espoused by the New People’s Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines” for supporting striking jeepney drivers. Practicing democratic rights should be praised and not be Red-tagged, which can lead to persecution and endanger the lives of those who are in solidarity with the poor.
Impeachment manifests that our government is serious about making the highest officials of the land accountable. The Senate is duty-bound to perform its responsibility. The legal luminaries in our land have explained the reason why the impeachment process should proceed and why the action of the Senate is unconstitutional. No less than PhilConsa chair and retired chief justice Reynato Puno said that “The accountability of public officials cannot be overstressed—and must never be evaded through procedural artifice.”
The public would like to know the real identities of alleged fund beneficiaries named after junk food items, such as “Jay Kamote,” “Miggy Mango, Pia Piatos-Lim,” “Renan Piatos,” “Xiaome Ocho,” Beverly Claire Pampano, “Mico Harina,” “Patty Ting,” “Ralph Josh Bacon,” and Mary Grace Piattos—and ask them how they fed on corruption in government.
The witches of old do not give peace to those who rob the people of their dignity and honor.
Dss. Norma P. Dollaga,
kasimbayan@yahoo.com.ph
