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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'A rotten system protecting its own': Group slams Senate for archiving VP Sara's impeachment complaint

'A rotten system protecting its own': Group slams Senate for archiving VP Sara's impeachment complaint

Published Aug 7, 2025 08:26 pm
Vice President and former Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte (MB file photo)
Vice President and former Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte (MB file photo)
A group of education workers on Thursday, August 7, denounced in the strongest terms the Senate’s "outright dismissal" of the impeachment complaint against Vice President and former Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte.
“Hiding behind procedural sleight of hand, the Senate has once again proven itself an instrument of political shielding and elite consolidation,” the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines said in a statement.
ACT noted that while the Senate claimed the complaint is merely “archived” pending the Supreme Court’s ruling, the senators' explanations reveal that they have “already adopted” Duterte’s self-serving argument that the impeachment was “void ab initio.”
Shameless, deliberate move
The Senate’s decision falls short of a complete absolution of corruption, ACT said.
“No invocation of technicalities can disguise what has happened,” the group said. “This was a shameless and deliberate move to snuff out any possibility of accountability,” it added.
ACT said that in doing so, the Senate reveals itself not as a “deliberative body but as a loyal accomplice” to impunity.
“This act of protection mirrors a theatre of legality, masking the brute consolidation of power by a parasitic elite,” the group said.
Betrayal
ACT stressed that while the masses of educators and ordinary Filipinos demand answers for the misuse of confidential funds, neglect of basic education, and dereliction of duty amid a worsening crisis in schools, the Senate responds by “insulating one of the most corrupt figures” in the land.
“It is a damning reminder that in this semi-colonial, semi-feudal order, laws bend to the will of dynasties, while the institutions meant to check abuse serve only to preserve it,” ACT said.
Overturn decision
Meanwhile, the group urged the Supreme Court to overturn its earlier decision and allow the impeachment to proceed.
“But we will not place all our hopes in legal proceedings,” ACT said. “We must acknowledge that the fight for justice cannot be won in institutions beholden to the ruling elite. It must be waged in the streets, in schools, and in every arena where people can organize and resist,” it added.
For ACT, the latest “betrayal” strengthens its collective resolve.
“We call on teachers, education workers, and all defenders of democracy to continue the struggle for the full public accounting of all public funds and for the removal of corrupt and negligent officials,” ACT said.
“The people will not be silenced by rhetoric. The path forward remains what it has always been—protest, organize, mobilize,” the group added.

Related Tags

VP Sara Duterte impeachment Sara Duterte impeachment complaint Senate archives impeachment complaint ACT Philippines confidential funds
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