Jose Colin Bagaforo, convenor of the InterReligious Leaders’ Council for National Transformation, said the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte should not be viewed as political persecution but as part of a democratic system of accountability.
“Impeachment is not persecution,” Bagaforo said, describing the process as “a constitutional and democratic process designed precisely to ensure that public officials entrusted with immense power remain accountable to the people.”
Bagaforo, who also chairs the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue, questioned why public officials should fear due process and said the impeachment proceedings could provide an opportunity for Duterte to answer the allegations against her.
He urged government leaders, civil society groups, and the public to allow the impeachment process to proceed peacefully and transparently, warning that resistance to accountability could further weaken public trust in institutions.
“At a time when citizens increasingly question the integrity of public institutions, the nation’s highest officials must not exempt themselves from accountability,” Bagaforo ended.