FORMER Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Tuesday reminded the senators that duty to serve the country and the people should come first before personal interest and grandstanding.
“To conduct an impeachment trial is a constitutionally imposed duty on the Senate. It is equally important as its legislative work because it is the people who exact accountability from its servants,” Barbers said.
“Thus, any and all internal squabbles must not involve nor diminish the priority accorded to an impeachment trial. It is to be conducted with dispatch and without fear or favor,” Barbers added.
He further stressed that the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte is not about personalities, political alliances, or leadership contests. It is about accountability, due process, and the rule of law.
“While leadership changes in the Senate may create perceptions of political uncertainty, the constitutional mandate of the Senate remains unchanged. Regardless of who occupies the Senate presidency, every senator-judge has sworn to uphold the Constitution and render judgment based on evidence and conscience,” Barbers said.
Barbers challenged all senators to rise above partisan considerations and demonstrate that our democratic institutions are stronger than political divisions.
He warned that the credibility of the Senate, and indeed of our democratic system, rests on the public’s confidence that justice will neither be delayed nor influenced by political maneuvering.
“At this critical moment, the nation is watching. The Senate must prove that no leadership dispute, no political alliance, and no external pressure can interfere with its solemn constitutional responsibility. The best service we can render to the Filipino people is to allow the trial to proceed, let the evidence speak, and let the truth prevail,” Barbers said.
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