Civil society coalition Tindig Pilipinas on Sunday held a “Mass for Peace and Accountability” at the EDSA Shrine, a day before the Senate is expected to formally convene as an impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte.
The gathering drew members of civil society, student leaders, religious groups, sectoral representatives, and several members of the House prosecution panel.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña, who attended the event, urged the Senate to immediately convene the impeachment court and allow the proceedings to move forward, saying the chamber must restore public confidence after a turbulent week.
“Now that the institution’s reputation has been damaged, the Senate must all the more fulfill its constitutional mandate to try the case against the Vice President. The Senate needs to regain the trust of the people. The day of accountability must rise after a week of abuse and chaos,” Cendaña said.
He also called on the public to closely follow the impeachment proceedings and guard against any attempt to delay the trial.
“The chaos this week is not only about Senator Bato Dela Rosa, it is certainly also connected to the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara. After all, who benefits the most from the chaos?” he said.
“If Senator Bato was able to evade accountability through the chaos, we should not allow Sara to escape the process of accountability,” Cendaña added.
Members of the House prosecution panel, led by Leila de Lima, also attended the gathering, along with Lorenz Defensor and Joel Chua.
Student leaders from Akbayan Youth and the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines joined the Mass, together with representatives from various religious and sectoral organizations.