NUPL urges Senate to uphold accountability in impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte
The NUPL calls on the Filipino people to remain vigilant and engaged throughout this process. Transparency and justice are not gifts handed down by those in power—they must be fought for and demanded.
February 5, 2025
NUPL
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers is a nationwide voluntary association of human rights lawyers in the Philippines, committed to the defense, protection, and promotion of human rights, especially of the poor and the oppressed.

The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) welcomes the House of Representatives’ decision to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte. This indictment is a vital step toward accountability at the highest levels of government. We now urge the Senate to conduct a thorough and fair trial.

At the core of the impeachment are grave allegations of corruption involving over ₱612.5 million in confidential funds, rapidly depleted with discrepancies pointing to fabricated recipients—an alarming betrayal of public trust, especially amid an economic crisis. Duterte is also accused of issuing death threats against the President, First Lady, and House Speaker, as well as playing a role in extrajudicial killings, including the hundreds of summary executions carried out by the Davao Death Squad when she was still Mayor of Davao City. These charges depict an official who has repeatedly resorted to violence and repression as tools of governance.

The impeachment process is a constitutional safeguard designed to ensure that government officials are held accountable for misconduct. More than a legal proceeding, this trial is a defining moment that will test whether our democratic institutions can deliver justice and break the deeply entrenched culture of impunity. It is an opportunity for the Senate to show that accountability is possible, even when the powerful are on trial.

The NUPL calls on the Filipino people to remain vigilant and engaged throughout this process. Transparency and justice are not gifts handed down by those in power—they must be fought for and demanded.

Reference:
Atty. Josalee S. Deinla
+639174316396

Photo by Kodao Productions

Read more

On the criminal charges of grave threat against VP Sara Duterte

On the criminal charges of grave threat against VP Sara Duterte

The validity of Sara Duterte’s indictment for grave threat is being questioned in light of the Supreme Court ruling in Ombudsman v. Court of Appeals (G.R. No. 146486, March 4, 2005). According to the ruling, an “impeachable officer cannot be criminally prosecuted for the same offenses which constitute grounds for impeachment”. In applying such ruling in relation to the indictment of Sara Duterte, the following points should be considered:

TO ALL THOSE TAKING THE BAR EXAMINATIONS BEGINNING TODAY, we honor the long and difficult work that has brought you to this moment.

TO ALL THOSE TAKING THE BAR EXAMINATIONS BEGINNING TODAY, we honor the long and difficult work that has brought you to this moment.

Behind every examinee are years of study, sacrifice, doubt, discipline, and persistence. As you enter the examination rooms, we wish you the best of health, soundness of mind, steadiness under pressure, and resilience for the days ahead. May you find the clarity to draw upon what you have learned, the composure to meet each question as it comes, and the resolve to keep going through fatigue and uncertainty.

LUDICROUS!!!

LUDICROUS!!!

Using the perjured statements of military assets, the government alleged that the Cagayan Valley activists supplied rice to NPA rebels by burying the rice in the hinterlands of Cagayan. The military assets allegedly provided the information to locate the place where the rice were buried. These were excavated, and the rotten rice is being used as a basis to file the case for terrorist financing.

Share This