Annie Agon, the UST Central Student Council (UST-CSC) public relations officer, urged Thomasians to be more vigilant and participate in mobilizations to hold Vice President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. accountable for their “sins to society.”

Agon made a statement after 215 out of 306 legislators at the House of Representatives signed the resolution to impeach Duterte on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

“Mas malaking hamon ito sa ating mga kabataan at estudyante na higitan pa lalo ang pagkilos nang hindi lamang maalis sa puwesto si Sara Duterte kundi mapanagot din si Marcos Jr. at ang kanilang administrasyon sa mga kasalanan nila sa bayan,” Agon told TomasinoWeb. “Kaya ng mga Tomasino, kasama ng mamamayan, na lumikha ng kasaysayan, gaya ng nagawa na nila noon pa.”

She also encourages the Thomasian community to organize protests against “bureaucratic capitalism,” which included “impunities and abuse of power of public officials” in the country.

“Sa panahong patuloy na lumalakas ang kultura ng kawalang pananagutan at pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan, tungkulin nating ipagpatuloy ang pagkilos, pag-oorganisa, at pagpapalakas ng ating hanay upang labanan ang namumulok na kultura ng burukrata kapitalismo mismo,” she added.

House impeaches Sara

Secretary General Reginald Velasco explained that the articles of impeachment signed by the legislators was a mix of arguments presented in the three complaints filed by civil society groups and government officials last year.

The endorsed complaint cited Duterte’s alleged plot to assassinate the president, the first lady, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez; the alleged illegal disbursement of confidential funds; the alleged bribery of Department of Education officials; and her alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City, among others.

Despite President Marcos appearing to dismiss Duterte’s impeachment, most of his allies and even his son, Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos, endorsed the complaint.

The lower chamber’s move fast-tracked the complaint to the Senate allowing trial to start immediately.

As the impeachment court, at least two-thirds or 16 out of the 24 senators must vote to acquit or convict Duterte, and, if convicted, to remove her from office.

The judicial courts shall determine fines or imprisonment of the vice president upon conviction.

Here are the 11 legislators named as the House prosecutors in the trial:

• Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro
• Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop
• 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Gutierrez
• Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua
• AKO Bicol Party-list Rep. Raul Bongalon
• Lone District of General Santos City Rep. Loreto Acharon
• 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan
• Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Arnan Panaligan
• Lone District of San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Zamora
• IloIlo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor
• Bukidnon 2nd District Rep. Jonathan Flores

Senate President Francis Escudero will be the presiding officer during the trials, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo will preside when President Marcos attends a trial.

According to the Senate Rules on Impeachment Proceedings, the Senate will set the date and time to consider the House-endorsed Article of Impeachment.

The rules also compel officials to be neutral and try the case “without discrimination despite affiliations or preferences.”

Sara Duterte is the first vice president to be impeached and will be the third official after the EDSA revolution to face trial in the Senate after Former President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and Former Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.