The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday urged the Senate to proceed without delay with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte following her second impeachment by the House of Representatives.
In a statement signed by CBCP President Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, the bishops called on senators to fulfill their constitutional duty and hear the case based on evidence and witness testimony.
“We appeal to the Members of the Senate to abide by what the Constitution directs: to proceed with the trial and to decide the case against the Vice President by summoning witnesses, hearing testimony, and voting according to the evidence,” the bishops said.
The appeal came a day after the House voted 257-25, with nine abstentions, to impeach Duterte on allegations that include graft, corruption, bribery, unexplained wealth, misuse of public funds, and allegedly threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
If convicted by the Senate impeachment court, Duterte would be removed from office and permanently barred from holding public office.
“This is no longer just about politics. This is about conscience, duty, and the future of our nation,” Rep. Bienvenido Abante said after the vote.
Abante said the proceedings were about “whether we still believe that no one is above the law.”
Duterte’s legal team said it was prepared to challenge the accusations before the Senate.
“We are fully prepared to defend the Vice President before the Senate sitting as an Impeachment Court,” her counsel said in a statement, adding that the burden of proof rested on her accusers.
The case now moves to a Senate viewed as more favorable to Duterte after allies of her family performed strongly in the 2025 midterm elections.
Shortly before the impeachment vote, senators elected longtime Duterte ally Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, a development political observers said could strengthen her position ahead of a trial.
Dennis Coronacion, chair of the political science department at the University of Santo Tomas, told Agence France-Presse that an acquittal remained “highly possible” because of the Senate’s composition.
Still, Coronacion said the proceedings themselves could politically damage Duterte.
“I’m expecting that by the next survey cycle, we’ll see the change in the public perception about the vice president. Filipinos really hate corruption,” he said.
The CBCP also warned senators against actions that could be perceived as avoiding constitutional accountability.
“We urge the Senators to avoid any act that may be perceived as evading their sworn duty or circumventing the requirements of the Constitution,” the bishops said.
“To delay the trial is to delay justice for both the Filipino people and the Vice President,” the statement added.
