Prosecutor Tolosa: High ratings no shield from impeachment accountability

VICE President Sara Z. Duterte’s improved satisfaction rating cannot halt or weaken her impeachment trial because constitutional accountability is decided on evidence, not popularity.

House prosecution legal spokesperson and private prosecutor Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. stressed that public approval does not place any impeachable official beyond scrutiny for alleged violations of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.

“This is not a popularity contest. It’s a constitutional accountability mechanism,” Tolosa emphasized.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey discussed during the briefing was conducted from June 20 to 29, before Duterte’s Senate trial began, and measured satisfaction with her performance rather than public judgment on the impeachment evidence.

The House prosecution maintained that survey respondents may approve of particular services delivered by the Vice President while still supporting a constitutional inquiry into separate allegations concerning threats, confidential funds and unexplained wealth.

Former Chief Justice Renato Corona was likewise subjected to a Senate trial despite the political support he retained, with the impeachment court ultimately convicting him in 2012 for failing to properly disclose assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

“And it would be good to remember what happened during the impeachment trial of the late CJ Corona,” Tolosa pointed out.

The Constitution empowers the Senate to determine whether an impeachable official committed culpable violations, graft and corruption, other high crimes or betrayal of public trust, without making popularity a defense against accountability.

House prosecution spokesperson and impeachment adviser Ace Barbers earlier argued that allowing ratings to determine whether a trial should continue would give popular officials practical immunity from constitutional scrutiny.

“Hindi ito popularity contest,” Barbers stressed.

“This is a mechanism that the Constitution guarantees to ensure that the Filipino people will not be shortchanged if and when the highest official of the country violates certain laws,” he added.