MANILA, Philippines — Two opposition groups welcomed the arrest warrant issued against Vice President Sara Duterte, calling it a step in the right direction.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday, the August Twenty One Movement (ATOM), known for its role in the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986 that ousted the late president Ferdinand Marcos, as well as protests supporting the vice president’s impeachment, said the court’s order came as a surprise, but deserves commendation.
The group called on the Senate, serving as an impeachment court, to issue a quick resolution to the trial.
“The impeachment trial should continue to its conclusion. And a quick resolution to this trial should be the immediate objective for the Senate. Enough with the delaying tactics and the action-star antics in the Senate. The people are getting impatient, too. Especially for a country known for its slow wheels of justice all the time, we, the people, deserve justice to be served as quickly as possible. Based on what was revealed in the Senate trial so far, there is strong evidence already that the vice-president has violated some of this country’s important laws,” the opposition movement said.
“We know it’s exhausting. As one senator who complained about being tired from serving in the Senate said, their long working hours these days are understandable because of the impeachment trial. But if you are getting tired, imagine the Filipino people who have to go through the annual challenges of floods, the continued decline in our economy, and the constant rise in the cost of necessities,” it added.
The group called for further accountability, such as holding former speaker Martin Romualdez accountable for the flood control mess, following the arrest order against Duterte.
“The impeachment and arrest of the Vice President is just the first step to achieve real accountability. This should happen. The government owes this to the people. We don’t owe the government anything,” ATOM said.
Due process
The Liberal Party (LP) of the Philippines said Duterte was fortunate because she was afforded due process.
In a statement on Saturday, the party said that this was far from the thousands of Filipinos killed under the war on drugs during the administration of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“There is a warrant of arrest. The case went through the courts. The evidence was examined, the court found probable cause, and she was given the opportunity to face the charges and use all the legal remedies available to her. This is not yet a judgment of guilt—it is still part of the trial process… This is a far cry from what happened to the thousands of Filipinos who were killed under her father’s war on drugs,” the party said.
“If due process matters to everyone, then it should matter to every Filipino,” it added.
