Lawyer and social media commentator Race Del Rosario has called on senator-judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to demonstrate impartiality, warning that any perception of bias could erode public confidence in the proceedings.
In a Facebook post published as the trial entered its third week, Del Rosario said the oath taken by senator-judges asks only one thing of them: to be fair and to favor no side. He argued that over the first two weeks of the trial, three senators appeared to be acting more like defense lawyers than as judges. Without naming the senators, he suggested that those who cannot be impartial should consider inhibiting themselves from the case, invoking the Filipino concept of delicadeza, or a sense of propriety.
Del Rosario tempered the criticism by acknowledging the senators may hold no actual bias, but stressed they must still show this to the public. In the eyes of many Filipinos, he wrote, a senator-judge who appears to take a side before the trial concludes damages trust in the integrity of the impeachment process.
His remarks echo concerns raised by legal and political analysts as the trial has unfolded. In an interview with Rappler, political science professor Julio Teehankee said senators in the minority bloc appeared to be “seemingly lawyering” for Duterte’s defense, describing the Senate’s composition as “strange” and noting that several senators are themselves facing cases that could affect how they vote.
The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, opened the trial on July 6 following weeks of pre-trial conferences. Duterte faces four articles of impeachment covering alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery of Department of Education officials, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family. She denies wrongdoing and has cast the impeachment as politically motivated.
Only 21 of the 24 senator-judges are physically present for the proceedings. Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remains in hiding while facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant tied to the Duterte-era drug war, Senator Jinggoy Estrada has been suspended in connection with a plunder case, and Senator Rodante Marcoleta surrendered to authorities over a separate plunder charge. A conviction requires the affirmative votes of at least 16 senators, which would remove Duterte from office and could permanently disqualify her from holding public office.
