Senate has ‘moral imperative’ to try Duterte, say Filipino bishops

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on 5 February and forwarded her articles of impeachment to the Senate, which convened as an impeachment court only on 10 June. 

The Philippines’ bishops urged the Senate to hold the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte immediately, calling it a “moral imperative” to seek the truth without delay. 

“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,” said Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in a statement on 10 June. 

“Let conscience guide your actions. Let the truth take its course,” added the 66-year-old Bishop of Kalookan.

The CBCP issued this statement hours before the Senate, voting 18-5, decided to return Duterte’s articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives, currently composed of 316 members, to settle legal questions. 

The House of Representatives had already impeached Duterte on 5 February, then forwarded her articles of impeachment to the Senate. The Senate was supposed to hold her impeachment trial and eventually vote to convict or acquit the Vice President, but convened as an impeachment court only on 10 June. 

In his statement, David emphasised that the Senate’s duty to act on impeachment cases is not optional, but “a solemn mandate arising from the principle of checks and balances enshrined in our democratic system”.

“The Church teaches that political authority exists to serve the common good (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 393–406). 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,” David said.

The Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan Socrates Villegas, a former CBCP president, said it was sinful for the Senate to delay Duterte’s impeachment trial.

“To delay the trial or even to abort it is to suppress the truth. It is a sin. The opponent, the devil, is rightly called Prince of Lies,” Villegas, 64, said in a pastoral letter.

“It is a sin to suppress or conceal the truth. The nation has a right to the truth that can only be established by law and evidence. To deprive the people of the full truth is a form of robbery. It is keeping something not yours. It is a sin,” he said.

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