Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre agrees with Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo’s take that the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte is part of the country’s "healing process".

Acidre issued the statement Saturday, May 9 as the House of Representatives prepared to vote on the transmittal to the Senate of the articles of impeachment--an act that would officially impeach Duterte for the second time in two years.

“Tama po si Bishop Bagaforo (Bishop Bagaforo is correct). In a democracy, transparency is not a weakness. Accountability is not political harassment. Justice is not destabilization. Ang impeachment process po actually ay proseso ng paghilom, proseso ng paghanap ng sagot, ng liwanag,” Acidre said.

(The impeachment process is actually a process of healing, a process of seeking answers, of finding light.)

According to the Visayas solon, the healing process begins with addressing public doubts surrounding the alleged misuse and mishandling of confidential funds.

Article I of the articles of impeachment accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

The article cites the compressed disbursement of P125 million in late 2022, questionable liquidation reports, the alleged use of unauthorized intermediaries, Commission on Audit (COA) disallowances, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) handwriting findings, and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) verification issues involving names listed in acknowledgment receipts.

“Kung may sugat sa tiwala ng tao, doon iyon nagsimula. Pera ng bayan ang pinag-uusapan dito. Kapag may tanong sa confidential funds at hindi masagot nang diretso, lalong lumalala ang sugat ng publiko,” Acidre said.

(If there is a wound in the people’s trust, that is where it began. What is being discussed here is the nation’s money. When questions arise about confidential funds and they are not answered directly, the public’s wound only worsens.)

Acidre said the process must also confront the uncertainty created by Duterte’s repeated absence from public hearings of the House Committee on Justice where she had opportunities to answer the allegations directly.

“Hindi nakagagaling ang pag-iwas. Hindi nakagagaling ang pagkawala sa hearing habang dumarami ang tanong. Lalong lumalalim ang sugat kapag walang humaharap at walang nagpapaliwanag,” he said.

(Avoidance does not heal. Absence from the hearings while questions multiply does not heal. The wound deepens when no one faces the people and no one explains.)

Acidre added that Article II deepened public concern by laying out allegations of unexplained wealth, including the alleged increase in Duterte’s declared net worth from P7.25 million in 2007 to P88.51 million in 2024, despite estimated lawful income of about P30 million over the same period.

The article also cited the alleged P6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions reflected in Anti-Money Laundering Council records involving Duterte and her spouse.

“Hindi maghihilom ang bayan kung may bilyon-bilyong galaw ng pera tapos ang sagot ay katahimikan o technicality. Tapos ang pagsagot laging sa press release at press conference, kung saan hindi under oath ang mga nagsasalita. Kailangan ng taumbayan ng malinaw na paliwanag, hindi malabong depensa,” Acidre said.

(The nation will not heal if billions of pesos move in silence or are dismissed on technicalities. Answers given only through press releases and press conferences, where speakers are not under oath, do not suffice. The people need clear explanations, not vague defenses.)

Acidre said accountability mechanisms should not be portrayed as harassment, warning that institutions are weakened whenever legitimate investigations are politicized.

Article III deals with alleged bribery and cash envelopes supposedly distributed to Department of Education officials, while Article IV involves allegations of grave threats, inciting to sedition, and an alleged assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“Only the evil fear the cleansing power of valid and thorough investigations and trials.Kapag malinis ang konsensya mo, hindi mo katatakutan ang proseso. Ang matatakot lang sa masusing imbestigasyon ay iyong may ayaw ipakita sa liwanag,” Acidre added.

(When your conscience is clean, you do not fear the process. Only those who resist thorough investigation fear the light.)

The second-term solon said impeachment is the proper constitutional forum where political narratives must give way to evidence and official findings.

“Ang impeachment ay hindi pandurog ng bansa. Ito ang paraan para tahiin muli ang punit na tiwala ng publiko. Proseso ito ng paghilom ng sugat na dulot ng duda, pagkalito, at pagkakahati-hati ng ating bayan,” he said.

(Impeachment is not a weapon against the country. It is a way to mend the torn trust of the public. It is a process of healing wounds caused by doubt, confusion, and division.)

He said the House has already completed the difficult task of gathering evidence and observing due process, and that the next step is to allow the constitutional process to continue.

“Kung gusto nating maghilom bilang bansa, huwag nating pigilan ang proseso. Hayaan nating umusad ang katotohanan. Doon lang babalik ang tiwala, doon lang liliwanag ang pananagutan,” Acidre said.

(If we want to heal as a nation, we must not obstruct the process. We must allow the truth to move forward. Only then will trust return, and only then will accountability shine.)