Mass protests demand urgent action on VP Sara’s impeachment complaints
MANILA, Philippines — Civil society groups from various sectors and political parties staged a protest at the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City on Friday, January 31, calling for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Localized rallies were also held across the country, with students from Metro Manila universities and marginalized groups converging at Liwasang Bonifacio to join multisectoral alliances in protesting against corruption, poverty and lack of accountability in the country — not just demanding Duterte’s impeachment.
According to Akbayan Party-List, around 10,000 attended the protest at the People Power Monument.
Nearly two months have passed since the first impeachment complaint against the vice president was filed on Dec. 2, 2024, but barely any progress has been made in the House of Representatives.
Three complaints have been lodged, all citing betrayal of public trust as grounds for impeachment and accusing Duterte of misusing confidential funds through the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
Rep. Perci Cendaña (Akbayan Party-List), the endorser of the first complaint, lamented the delay in the lower chamber's processing of the complaints.
“Anong petsa na? Matatapos na ang Enero, wala pa ring aksyon ang Kongreso sa mga impeachment complaints. Magpapatalo at magpapasindak ba ang Kongreso kay Sara at sa kanyang chicheryang mga palusot?” he said.
(What date is it already? January is almost over, and Congress has yet to act on the impeachment complaints. Will Congress let Sara and her flimsy excuses intimidate them?)
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Meanwhile, former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said in a statement that the mass actions reflect the people’s demand for “national democracy, social justice and genuine peace.”
Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), a group of agricultural workers in the country, suggested that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s opposition to Duterte's impeachment may have influenced the slow handling of the complaints.
This aligns with Makabayan lawmakers' claim that Marcos is trying to