As Multiple Crises Intensify, the Impeachment Trial Must not End With Sara; Investigate All Cases of Plunder! End the Tyranny of the Ruling Elite and Political Dynasties!
- Media Communications
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
From the scorching heat in recent days, the Philippines is now inundated with rain, highlighting the intensified effects of the climate crisis. The recent political climate also worsened as the Senate seemingly delayed its convening as an impeachment court for Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte's trial. In both situations, immediate action is a must.
On February 5, 2025, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach Duterte with accusations ranging from corruption to involvement in an alleged plot to kill President Bongbong Marcos (BBM). It has been four months since the ball was in the Senate’s court, but the Senate leadership appears to be in no hurry. This reflects how the current administration responds to the nation’s demand for accountability, among others. While the processes are delayed, those primarily affected continue to suffer.
There might be more than just the 612.5 Million-peso confidential funds allegedly misused by Duterte as VP and Education Secretary. This injustice is a gross disservice to our underpaid teachers and the children who lack access to proper education.
The injustice extends to other areas such as public health, basic social services, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. That is why we called to scrap the current administration's 2025 National Budget, as it is an illegal and corrupt budget that only serves to further sink the country into debt and suffering.
The current Senate leadership’s maneuvers to delay the impeachment proceedings – intentionally misinterpreting the law to serve vested interests – are the same MO used by corrupt government officials throughout the country to amass ill-gotten wealth, oppress the people, and destroy the environment in order to serve the interests of big business.
While the Senate President swears that there is no allegiance to, nor dislike for, the VP, we call on the people not to be fooled by the factional elite infighting. The Senate and the whole legislature have long served the interests of the few and are now a broken state institution. We call on the people to rally behind the remaining public interest and progressive public officials and reclaim the government for the workers and the people. Any vestiges of elite rule will not free us from the pangs of poverty and oppression.
A true people’s government allegiance must be to the Filipino people only, whose basic rights are trampled by powerful clans and dynasties like the Dutertes, the Marcoses, and the corporate elite who continue to profit from the perpetuation of the system of greed, oppression, and violence. The immoral and illegitimate wealth squeezed from the hard labor of ordinary Filipinos and the destruction of nature is the business model of elites and capitalists. A true people’s government must not be satisfied with looking at just the grand corruption and plunder of the vice presidency, but must include all plunder committed by all government officials.
The proliferation of political dynasties has weakened state institutions and legitimized cover-ups of the crime of plunder, taking away the huge fiscal space necessary to deliver public and basic social services for the ordinary citizen’s survival. Political dynasties that tenaciously cling to power at all costs are often in cahoots with big business to protect their common selfish interests. An exact example is BBM himself, who propped up the false narrative that fossil gas is a transition fuel when he signed the Gas Law; thus displaying his support for the oligarchs in the gas industry, dominated by greedy capitalists who show no regard for the people or the planet.
We urgently call on the Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty and immediately proceed with the VP's impeachment trial. But it must not end there. All cases of plunder must be tried and investigated, and the authorities must implement the full force of the law without exemptions. We also hold the President and past governments accountable for perpetuating elite rule, as governments past and present have been unsurprisingly and consistently slow to demand accountability from erring public officials.
Our calls for accountability and constant demands for justice are ways to end elite rule, responsible for the economic system that has created the multiple crises we now face as a nation. It is time for Filipinos to break free from the shackles of elite greed and oppression. ###
FOR INQUIRIES:
Sheila Abarra
Senior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
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