By Janess Ann J. Ellao
“Bantay Impeachment is our response,” Fr. Victor Sadaya, School Director of Claret School of Quezon City, said on Saturday as he led the launching of a citizen-led watchdog campaign for maintaining sustained public pressure for a fair and transparent impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The initiative seeks to counter disinformation through targeted online awareness campaigns and educational explainers.
Bantay Impeachment organizers plan to mobilize public for vigils and quick-reaction teams once actual trial starts on July 6.
The campaign follows the House of Representatives’ historic vote last month to impeach Duterte, with 257 lawmakers overwhelmingly voting in favor of sending the case to trial.
The impeachment charges against Duterte stemmed from the alleged misuse and mismanagement of confidential funds during Duterte’s tenure at both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The complaint also questions the legitimacy of her unexplained wealth and Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) filings, alongside grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
Public good
Addressing critics who argue that political proceedings distract from everyday economic struggles, Joaquin Buenaflor of the youth group Youth Rage Against Corruption emphasized that accountability is directly tied to the public’s well-being.
“Impeachment is a gut issue because every peso lost to corruption is a peso that should have gone to basic services,” Buenaflor said.
David Michael San Juan, convenor of Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado and the Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot, affirmed that the public is prepared to see the impeachment process through to its conclusion.
San Juan criticized the vice president’s use of technicalities to delay the proceedings.
Pre-trial conferences are scheduled for next week, with the formal impeachment trial set to begin on July 6.
“Amid the evidence before us, are we still not convinced?” San Juan askedin Filipino.
Defeating evil
Fr. Sadaya emphasized that the watchdog initiative transcends any single government official, focusing instead on “the integrity of the institutions and the trust of the people.”
He invoked the enduring principle that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing, noting that this call has long inspired generations to resist injustice.
“This message is more urgent than ever,” Sadaya added.
Expressing solidarity from the Visayas, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos hoped that the campaign will galvanize the public’s demand for a government that genuinely serves their interests.
“It is time to turn the tables and unmask their wicked ways,” Bishop Alminaza said. #
