𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗖𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) expressed deep concern over the apparent stalling of the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that such inaction reflects the continued erosion of the country’s political and judicial institutions.

Prof. Roland Simbulan, Chairperson of CenPEG, said:

“𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙑𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘿𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙. 𝙄𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.”

Simbulan added that the failure of accountability mechanisms at the national level justifies and reinforces the call for former President Rodrigo Duterte to be tried before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝘾𝘾 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡. 𝙄𝙛 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙢𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙩𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥.

CenPEG noted that arguments invoking “sovereignty” by Duterte’s allies to resist ICC jurisdiction ring hollow, especially when the country’s own institutions are either compromised or paralyzed by political interests.

“𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝘾𝘾 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩,” Simbulan asserted.

CenPEG continues to support efforts that strengthen democratic institutions, accountability mechanisms, and people’s participation in governance.