Nineteen senators voted on Aug. 6 not to hold accountable Vice President Sara Duterte of her actions that violated the Constitution and public trust which include contracting an assassin and plotting to murder or assassinate the incumbent president, the First Lady, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, as publicly admitted by her in a live broadcast; committed graft and corruption in her misuse and malversation of confidential funds appropriated to the OVP and DepEd; amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her Statement of Assets and Net Worth.
Those were votes for impunity and the trampling of the Constitution.
The senators’ betrayal cut so deeply on one’s sense of values and concept of citizenship.
What to do?
Members of the militant groups led by Bayan Muna and PISTON went to the streets to express their outrage. On Aug. 8 , the Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives went to the Supreme Court and filed a Motion to Intervene and Reconsideration of its decision declaring unconstitutional the impeachment complaint passed on Feb. 5 and sent to the Senate for trial.
For many Filipinos, there is such thing as processing the simmering rage. They keep faith inspired by the stand taken by the five valiant senators: Risa Hontiveros, Tito Sotto, Kiko Panglilinan, Ping Lacson and Bam Aquino.
Photos and videos by Bullit Marquez for VERA Files
