MANILA, Philippines — With the country facing the possibility of Vice President Duterte assuming the presidency in 2028, her impending impeachment trial may be a chance for her to reckon with past crimes, according to opposition lawmaker Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday, February 26.
Hontiveros, who will remain a senator after the midterm elections and serve as an impeachment judge, said she will be fair and objective in Duterte’s impeachment trial. She said that she will consider all evidence with a fresh perspective.
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But she acknowledged that the two of them have a thorny past.
“I think fair enough to say na may judgment na akong namumuo the past several years na nakita ko sa performance ni VP on the issues na inimbestiga namin dati or dinibate namin dati, some of which ay mga pumasok sa importanteng grounds ng impeachment,” Hontiveros said.
(I think fair enough to say that there is a judgement forming the past several years from what I have seen in the VP’s performance on the issues that we investigated or we deviated before, some of which was included in the important grounds of impeachment.)
Hontiveros said she has also considered the full implications of the vice president’s impeachment trial if the prosecution succeeds—eliminating the possibility of another Duterte assuming the presidency.
If the Senate convicts Duterte, she will be disqualified from holding public office.
The opposition lawmaker said victim-survivors may find a sense of justice in Duterte’s conviction for her alleged crimes.
“Para sa [victim-survivors], and para din sa amin, na mga allies nila, it's also finally a reckoning sa mga past na mga krimen laban sa kanila na never pa nila nakakuha ng substantive na hustisya at saka never pa sa kanilang nakasingil ng accountability,” Hontiveros said.
(For the victim-survivors, and for us, their allies, it’s also finally a reckoning for their past crimes that have bever seen substantive justice and have not reaped accountability.)
Hontiveros said that if the impeachment trial pushes through, “past and future will collide in the present.”
While no process or decision is perfect, Hontiveros said the trial could provide a measure of justice and accountability for those who have been denied them.
However, Hontiveros acknowledged that most Senate investigations have primarily focused on the vice president’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
She said that she will separate the two, as the elder Duterte may also face judgment from the International Criminal Court.