ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Youth solon tells VP Sara: No 'ghosting' on first day of impeachment trial, please

Youth solon tells VP Sara: No 'ghosting' on first day of impeachment trial, please

Published Jul 4, 2026 04:43 pm

At A Glance

  • House panel spokesperson Rep. Renee Co urges Vice President Sara Duterte not to "ghost" the Filipino people by skipping the July 6 Senate impeachment trial, stressing the process is vital for accountability.
  • Co and lawyer Dino de Leon of Bantay Senado emphasize that both the senator-judges and Duterte herself will be judged by the public based on their conduct during the proceedings, with attendance seen as respect for the Constitution.
  • Prosecutor Jay Tolosa notes that rules allow Duterte to appear personally or through counsel, but public sentiment favors her direct participation.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)


House prosecution panel spokesperson Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co is holding out hope that impeachment trial respondent Vice President Sara Duterte wouldn't dare "ghost" the Filipino people.
"Our one wish is that VP Sara doesn't ghost the Filipino people on day one of the trial,” Co, a member of the militant Makabayan bloc, said on Saturday, July 4.
Co, a lawyer, was referring to the official start of Duterte’s impeachment trial at the Senate on Monday, July 6.
Co says the impeachment process is an important accountability mechanism, "Kailangan natin itong tapusin upang ipakita ang respeto sa taumbayan na naghahanap ng kasagutan," she said.
(We need to see this process through in order to show respect to the people who have long been searching for answers.)
She also extended her wish to the senator-judges, whom the prosecution panel earlier said was also "on trial" in the eyes of the public.
"We who are watching are hopeful that the senator-judges fulfill their duty with impartiality and commitment. The Filipino people does not deserve anything less," Co said.
House legal spokesperson and private prosecutor lawyer Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said the impeachment rules allow Duterte to either appear personally or be represented by her counsel.
“We, of course, recognize the sentiment of the public that there’s a demand to hear her, personally address these allegations against her, and face the impeachment court,” Tolosa said.
“But, of course, we have to respect the rules which allow the impeachment court to give her the option to either appear in person or through counsel. So ultimately, that decision belongs to her and, of course, with the advice of her counsel. So we leave it to her,” he explained.
Vice President Duterte's conviction via impeachment trial is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.
Bantay Senado speaks
Echoing Co's remarks for Vice President Duterte Saturday was lawyer Dino de Leon of the civic initiative Bantay Senado. He said that a no-show from the respondent before the Senate impeachment court on Monday would a blatant disrespect for the constitutional process.
“Sa aming palagay, the mere fact na hindi siya a-attend is again a disrespect to the process. Respetuhin natin ang proseso, respetuhin natin ang Saligang Batas,” De Leon said during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
De Leon said the decision ultimately rests with Duterte, but stressed that the public will judge not only the Senate impeachment court but also the respondent based on how the proceedings unfold.
“Habang (While) we appreciate that the decision belongs to her, it does not mean that we like the decision. Tayo ang huhusga ultimately. Ang Senado ay huhusgahan ng taumbayan. Ang respondent ay huhusgahan din ng taumbayan,” he added.
(We will ultimately be the judge. The people will judge the Senate. Likewise, the respondent will also be judged by the people.)

Related Tags

ghost Ghosting Sara Duterte IMPEACHMENT impeachment trial Renee Co Senate
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.