Former senator and incoming Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima made an emphatic appeal for truth, justice and accountability amid reports that the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte may not prosper.
“There are whispers the case is ‘dead on arrival’—lacking the numbers, doomed before it begins,” she said in a video message posted Thursday evening. “But the question is clear: Are we going to follow the process or abandon it out of fear or calculation?”
De Lima issued the statement following Senate President Francis Escudero’s announcement that the reading of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte has been delayed further from June 2 to June 11.
She also noted President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s apparent effort to distance himself from the proceedings, reiterating his opposition to it from the beginning. But for De Lima, this issue goes beyond political calculations.’
“Each step exists for one reason—to uncover the truth. I have been invited to join the prosecution panel. I said yes—not to serve any political camp, but to uphold the principles of truth, justice and accountability. This is not about vendettas. This is about responsibility. This is about courage,” she said.
“If the accusations (against the Vice President) truly have no basis, the evidence itself will show that. Not gossip. Not intimidation. And certainly not survey numbers,” De Lima emphasized.
The seasoned lawyer urged fellow legislators and the general public not to abandon the impeachment proceedings because to do betrays “the people who still believe in the promise of justice,” and sustains the culture of impunity.
“It tells every Filipino that those in power are beyond reach, and that accountability is optional… We know what happens when process is ignored, when truth is silenced, when the powerful are shielded from scrutiny. This is how impunity begins. This is how it is sustained. And this is how a nation forgets.”
Recalling previous failures in upholding constitutional processes, De Lima cautioned against repeating the “sins of the past.” She ended her statement with a call to action: “Let the case be heard. Let the evidence be tested. Let truth rise—as it must, as it will.”
