*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
What if every week of the impeachment trial had its own scoreboard?
Not a scoreboard announcing guilt or innocence. Not a scoreboard declaring a winner before the game is over. But a scoreboard that simply tells the Filipino people how the game is unfolding.
The idea came to me while watching baseball.
In baseball, every inning matters. Nobody waits until the ninth inning to appreciate the game. After every inning, the scoreboard tells the fans exactly where things stand. One team may lead after the first inning, only to lose in the seventh. A team trailing by five runs may suddenly rally and win in dramatic fashion. That uncertainty is precisely what makes baseball beautiful.
No one dares declare the winner after the first inning. Everyone waits for the final out.
As I watched the ongoing impeachment proceedings involving Vice President Sara Duterte, I found myself wondering whether there is something our democracy can learn from baseball. Not about deciding the case, but about helping the public understand how the trial progresses.
Imagine if every week of the impeachment proceedings were treated as one inning. During that week, the prosecution presents witnesses, introduces documents, and lays down its arguments. The defense responds with its own witnesses, explanations, and evidence. Senator judges listen carefully, ask questions, and observe the credibility of every person who takes the witness stand.
Then, at the end of the week, each senator judge confidentially records a personal, nonbinding assessment based only on what has been presented so far. No names are revealed. No senator is identified. No final judgment is rendered. Only an anonymous aggregate score is announced.
Perhaps something like this.
Prosecution’s evidence presently persuades: 7
Defense’s evidence presently persuades: 13
Undecided: 1
The following week becomes another inning. More witnesses testify. New evidence emerges. Some arguments become stronger. Others become weaker. At the end of that week, another confidential assessment is made. Perhaps the score changes. Perhaps it remains the same.
The important point is not who is ahead. The important point is that the Filipino people can see whether the evidence is actually influencing the tribunal as the trial unfolds.
Would such a system ever become part of our constitutional process?
Probably not.
Nor am I suggesting that it should.
But as an analogy, it reveals something worth reflecting upon.
Today, much of the public discussion surrounding the impeachment has focused on a single question.
“Do they already have the numbers?”
That question dominates political conversations, television commentaries, and social media discussions.
Ironically, very little attention is sometimes given to another question that may be even more important.
“What did today’s evidence prove?”
Instead of analyzing testimony, many people immediately calculate presumed votes. Instead of evaluating documentary evidence, they speculate about political alliances. Instead of discussing credibility, they discuss arithmetic.
It is as though everyone wants to know the final score before the game has even reached the middle innings.
That, to me, is unfortunate.
One of the greatest lessons baseball teaches us is patience.
Momentum changes. A dominant pitcher may suddenly lose control. A quiet batter may become the hero. One extraordinary inning can completely change the outcome of a game.
Should justice not be given the same opportunity?
Every witness deserves to be heard. Every document deserves to be examined. Every argument deserves to be challenged. Every contradiction deserves to be explored. Every admission deserves to be weighed.
An impeachment trial is one of the most serious constitutional mechanisms available in a democratic society. It should never become merely a contest of predicted vote counts.
Whether one supports or opposes Vice President Sara Duterte is ultimately beside the point.
Every Filipino should desire the same thing.
That the prosecution presents its strongest evidence. That the defense presents its strongest answers. That every senator judge remains open minded until all the evidence has been heard. And that the final vote reflects thoughtful constitutional judgment rather than political expectation.
In baseball, fans watch every inning because every inning has the power to change the game.
Perhaps citizens should watch impeachment proceedings with the same mindset.
Every hearing matters. Every witness matters. Every question matters. Every answer matters. Every week should bring us closer, not merely to a verdict, but to a clearer understanding of the truth.
Whether the public believes the votes are already there or not should never replace the constitutional responsibility to hear the entire case. Trials are conducted because evidence matters. If outcomes were determined solely by expectations before the presentation of evidence, the proceedings themselves would lose much of their purpose.
Perhaps that is the real scoreboard we should be watching.
Not the scoreboard of political numbers.
But the scoreboard of truth.
Did this week’s testimony strengthen the allegations? Did the defense effectively answer them? Did the witnesses enhance or diminish their credibility? Did the evidence bring the nation one step closer to understanding what truly happened?
Those are the scores that matter most.
The final vote, whenever it comes, will become part of our constitutional history.
But history will ask a question that no scoreboard can fully answer.
Did the impeachment trial faithfully search for the truth?
Because, like baseball, justice should never be judged after the first inning.
It deserves to be played fairly, completely, and with integrity until the very last out.
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Dear friends,
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