July 4, 2025 l Manila Times
The Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex) has joined the country’s business community in urging the Senate impeachment court to proceed with the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a recent statement, Finex said: “The ongoing impeachment process is a mechanism that creates guardrails for the people who execute the process and make them follow the path of the framework as stated in our 1987 Constitution.”
In the past 25 years, three top government officials have been impeached by the House of Representatives: then-[resident Joseph Estrada in 2000, then-Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in 2011 and then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona also in 2011.
Gutierrez resigned before her trial could begin, while that of Estrada was abruptly halted after prosecutors walked out — leading to EDSA People Power 2 that triggered the collapse of his administration.
In Corona’s trial in 2012, reporters were allowed into the Senate halls thick with tension, as they watched prosecutors fumble their notes and heard defense counsels spinning the Constitution into knots.
On nationwide TV, senators would grandstand on cue, only to huddle behind closed doors and cut deals several hours later.
In the end, Corona was convicted for his failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. He became the first top official to be removed and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
Smoke and mirrors
An impeachment trial is mostly an exercise in smoke and mirrors. The latest round of noise coming from the House prosecutors accusing the senator-judges of stalling Duterte’s impeachment is predictable. This happens every time one legislative chamber tries to blame the other for its own unpreparedness.
On June 10, the Senate impeachment court finally convened but voted to remand the articles of impeachment to the House. As the court’s presiding officer, Senate President Francis Escudero issued two directives: first, asking the House to formally certify that the complaint was constitutionally compliant; and second, whether the House is ready to prosecute.
House prosecutors forthwith complied with the first condition and certified that the complaint passed constitutional muster. But they balked at the second, arguing that the 20th Congress had not yet been convened. Instead, they will ask the Senate to proceed with the pretrial procedures.
It seems Escudero would prefer to err on the side of caution. His insistence on form and structure may be annoying for those who want fireworks.
Yet if the trial begins with procedural ambiguity, it might end with legal vulnerability and acquittal due to technicalities. Would you rather have a sloppy trial that hands Duterte a free pass or a properly constituted court that rules with credibility?
Not camels
In another development, Escudero denounced a reported plan of the Trump administration to deport Asian immigrants — including Filipinos — to Libya. “Filipinos are not camels to be dumped on some Libyan desert. They are human beings who deserve to be accorded all the rights by a state who claims to cherish and uphold them,” he said, calling on Philippine Ambassador to the US Manuel Romualdez to check on the status of all Filipinos scheduled for deportation and extend legal assistance if necessary.
A recent cause of concern for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families back home is Iran’s retaliation to the US’ bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites last month. Millions of OFWs are based in the Middle East and could get caught in the crossfire if the Israel-US war against Iran escalates further.
Are our defense officials reviewing the heightened risks of the Philippines under the new geopolitical order? Currently, there are nine Filipino military bases being used by the US armed forces under the enhanced defense cooperation agreement, and would likely be targets of America’s enemies.
Following Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s visit to Manila in April, the US State Department approved the sale of 20 F-16 aircraft to the Philippines. This is part of a larger package that includes missiles, bombs, antiaircraft guns and ammunition worth $5.6 billion.
Initially touted by Hegseth as American support for its Pacific ally, it turned out the deal will be financed by a long-term loan from the US.
Industry experts consider the F-16 obsolete and will be replaced by newer aircraft like the F-35 fighter jet. Why is the Philippines borrowing from US funders to buy their obsolete weapons?
In exchange, America cannot even extend dignified repatriation to Filipino green card holders and in some cases, naturalized citizens who have lived there for decades.
***The views expressed herein are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX. For comments, email nextgenmedia@gmail.com. Photo is from Pinterest.