House prosecution team member, incoming Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima refuses to abandon the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte amid speculations that it is "dead on arrival" once it reaches the Senate.
De Lima gave this rather defiant message on Thursday night, May 29 amid the popular belief that Vice President Duterte gained additional allies in the Senate after the mid-term elections.
And more senator-allies for Duterte mean that the chances for De Lima et al to get a conviction are slim.
"May mga bulong na hindi na raw uusad ang impeachment case laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte: 'Dead on arrival' daw. Kulang sa boto. Tapos na bago pa magsimula. Maging ang Pangulo, tila nais ipakita na wala siyang kinalaman o kagustuhan dito," De Lima said.
(There are whispers that the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte will no longer move forward. It's 'dead on arrival', they say. There aren't enough votes. It's over before it even begins. Even the President seems eager to show that he has no involvement or desire on the matter.)
"Pero malinaw ang tanong: Susundin ba natin ang proseso, o tatalikuran ito dahil sa takot o kalkulasyon? (But the question is clear: Will we follow due process, or abandon it out of fear or political calculation?)" she asked.
A two-thirds vote in the 24-member Senate is needed to convict and unseat Vice President Duterte.
"Let the case be heard. Let the evidence be tested. Let truth rise—as it must, as it will," reckoned De Lima, a former senator.
"Kung talagang walang sapat na batayan ang mga akusasyon, ang ebidensiya mismo ang magpapakita niyan. Hindi ang tsismis. Hindi ang takutan. At lalong hindi ang numero sa survey," she said.
(If the accusations truly lack sufficient basis, the evidence itself will prove it. Not gossip. Not fearmongering. And certainly not survey numbers.)
De Lima stressed: "To abandon this process is to abandon the people who still believe in the promise of justice. It tells every Filipino that those in power are beyond reach, and that accountability is optional."
The congresswoman-elect underscored the importance of pushing through with Duterte's Senate impeachment trial. She called it part of the constitutional process.
"But we’ve seen this before. We know what happens when process is ignored, when truth is silenced, when the powerful are shielded from scrutiny," she said.
"This is how impunity begins. This is how it is sustained. And this is how a nation forgets. We cannot allow that to happen again. Not on our watch," added the one-time Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary.
"Panahon na para muling itindig ang Saligang Batas. Panahon na para igiit na katotohanan ang dapat maging pundasyon ng ating pamahalaan (It's time to uphold the Constitution once more. It is time to assert that truth must be the foundation of our government)," said De Lima.
The House of Representatives--on the strength of signatures from 215 congressmen--impeached Duterte last Feb. 5. The Senate impeachment trial is expected to begin in July.