VICE President Sara Z. Duterte’s 2028 presidential bid may have raised the political stakes of her impeachment, but the trial remains ultimately about confronting the allegations against her and giving Filipinos the long-awaited answers, a political science professor said Thursday.
“‘Yung political consequences ng trial na ito go beyond this administration. It will go beyond ‘yung magiging hulma ng politika natin. Kasi nga yung sanctions ng perpetual disqualification from office,” University of the Philippines Diliman political science professor Dr. Aries Arugay said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB.
Arugay pointed out that multiple surveys have found broad public support for allowing Duterte’s impeachment trial to proceed, including many of her own supporters.
According to OCTA Research’s June poll, 7 in 10 Filipinos want the vice president to face her impeachment trial. Meanwhile, a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey found 66% of Filipinos agreed she should address the impeachment charges filed against her.
Regardless of the impeachment court’s eventual verdict, Arugay said these findings only reflect how Filipinos are more interested in hearing the evidence, establishing the truth, and putting the impeachment to rest.
“And I think the polling numbers have shown that a majority of the Filipinos wanted this trial to happen. So it’s important na masimulan itong proseso na ito finally. And hopefully matapos siya immediately so the country can move on,” he said.
He further explained that the impeachment is fundamentally an accountability process and not simply an effort to bar the vice president from seeking future public office, especially as no punishment will be imposed yet.
“Hindi pa naman siya pinarurusahan. So I think karamihan sa mga Pilipino, ang gustong mangyari is for the vice president to finally explain. ‘Yun lang naman po yung hinihingi,” Arugay said.
He argued that the impeachment proceedings could have been avoided, or at least conducted a lot sooner, had Duterte properly responded to questions raised during budget hearings and congressional investigations into the alleged misuse of her offices’ confidential funds.
“Hindi naman tayo aabot dito sa trial na ito kung ito ay naipaliwanag ng bise presidente noong budget hearings o kaya yung katakot-takot niya ‘yung presscon at Facebook post kung doon mismo pinaliwanag niya na,” he said, recalling how Duterte has only been telling the Filipino people that she will explain at the right time and place.
Arugay, however, found it “very bewildering” for the vice president to need a whole impeachment trial just to deliver a proper answer to the allegations.
“Parati niya tayong pinaghihintay na ‘darating ‘yung point na ipapaliwanag ko.’ Umabot na tayo ng ilang taon at kailangan pang umabot sa isang impeachment trial para lang marinig ‘yung paliwanag,” he said.
“I think that’s what the people deserve. Paano mo ba ginastos ‘yung P612.5 million na yan? So sa ngayon kailangan pa natin mag-impeachment trial just for you to be forced to explain? I find that very bewildering,” he added.
The logic behind impeachment, Arugay said, is rooted in due process. It provides high-ranking public officials with a formal forum to explain their actions and defend themselves while allowing allegations to be tested through evidence in the interest of transparency and accountability. For that reason, he said, the process should not merely be characterized as political weaponization.
“Kasi kung ma-acquit siya then tapos. Ibig sabihin nagastos nang maayos, hindi niya talaga thrineatean [‘yung presidente], walang basehan,” he said.
“Kaya lang ‘yung nangyayari ngayon kasi eh parang ‘yung logika, pag sinubject mo sa isang due process ‘yung isang politiko, weaponization na, pinupulitika na, when supposedly ito ‘yung tamang proseso ng pagpapaliwanag, transparency and accountability. “Pero bakit natatakot na mag-undergo in such a process?” he questioned.
With the impeachment trial set to begin on July 6, Arugay said the public should pay close attention to how the proceedings are conducted, such as how evidence is handled, whether witnesses are allowed to testify fully, and whether the trial is conducted fairly.
The vice president faces four impeachment charges involving the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, alleged unexplained wealth linked to discrepancies in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, alleged bribery involving Department of Education officials, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
