THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL IS NOT AN AUDITION FOR 2028

*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM

Imagine a mother watching the impeachment trial while dividing her remaining money between rice and her child’s medicine. On television, one lawyer speaks at length; another responds sharply. She lowers the volume and returns to the prescription beside her.

Hindi niya hinihiling na kalimutan ang pananagutan. Ang hinihiling niya ay huwag din siyang makalimutan.

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte deserves a fair, timely verdict. Lawyers for both prosecution and defense must help the court determine what the evidence proves. Every question should clarify an issue. Every argument should bring the proceedings closer to a credible decision.

Hindi dapat maging audition para sa 2028 ang impeachment trial na ito.

National exposure can become political capital. Repeated television appearances can make a lawyer familiar to voters who have never heard of that person’s legal work. Visibility alone does not prove an intention to seek office. But whatever a participant’s future plans, recognition must remain incidental to the task of assisting the court.

The standard is conduct. An intervention should clarify evidence, explain the law, or protect a procedural right. When it mainly repeats a speech, prolongs a personal confrontation, or advertises the speaker’s ability, the court should ask what the case gains from it.

Kapag ang tanong ay nagiging talumpati at ang sagutan ay lumilihis sa kailangang patunayan, ibalik ang usapan sa ebidensiya. Ang oras ng paglilitis ay hindi personal na entablado.

Strong advocacy remains essential. Prosecutors must substantiate their allegations. Defense lawyers must expose weaknesses and protect the respondent’s rights. A forceful objection or difficult question may be necessary. Its value lies in what it contributes to the record, even when it produces no dramatic moment.

Applause cannot establish guilt. A clever response cannot establish innocence. Legal competence shows in relevant evidence, clear reasoning, and the discipline to stop when a point has been adequately made.

Hindi kailangang pahabain ang sagutan upang patunayang mahusay ang abogado. Kung may mahalagang hindi pa nasasagot, doon ituon ang tanong. Kung malinaw na ang punto, magpatuloy.

That discipline must apply equally. Invoking accountability does not excuse prosecutorial grandstanding. Invoking political persecution does not excuse defense theatrics. Both sides deserve a fair opportunity to be heard. The court must also protect that opportunity from being consumed by repetition and personal display.

Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s testimony about GenCorp contracts briefly illustrates the exposure these proceedings create. By calling him, the prosecution also provided a national platform. In my assessment, some viewers may have seen a mayor answering difficult questions with composure and class, beyond his identity as former President Rodrigo Duterte’s son. That possible impression is separate from the legal weight of his answers. 

Para sa mga abogado, malinaw ang aral: bawat tanong ay dapat may layunin sa kaso. Hindi dapat matabunan ng personalidad ang puntong kailangang patunayan.

Efficient proceedings must remain fair. Conviction on one article can suffice if at least two-thirds of all Senate members vote to convict on it, but the required trial must first be completed and the defense given its opportunity. The Senate should disclose actual trial-related expenses; the circulating ₱25 million-per-session claim remains unverified. 

Kailangang marinig ang mahalaga. Hindi kailangang pahabain ang paulit-ulit. Identify unresolved issues, maintain firm schedules, and require a clear reason for every extension. Once the necessary proceedings are complete, convict if an article secures the required votes; otherwise, acquit.

Legislative work must continue throughout. Outside the chamber, families negotiate overdue rent, postpone treatment, and decide which necessity to sacrifice. Walang kamera sa kanilang pangungutang. Walang palakpakan kapag naitawid nila ang isang araw.

Their hardship gives urgency to responsible trial management. It cannot dictate the verdict, but it should remind everyone involved to use public time carefully. Accountability and continuing public service are duties the government must fulfill together.

Anyone seeking office in 2028 should earn public trust through service and a record voters can examine. Lawyers in this case have an immediate responsibility: help the court reach a judgment grounded in evidence.

The mother beside the prescription is still waiting. Her child’s need for treatment deserves the same seriousness that lawyers demand for their arguments.

Tapusin nang patas ang paglilitis. Magpasya nang malinaw. Hindi dapat maging audition para sa 2028 ang impeachment trial. Habang may gustong makilala ng bayan, may mamamayang kailangang maalala ng pamahalaan.

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*About the author:

Dr. Rodolfo “John” Ortiz Teope is a distinguished Filipino academic, public intellectual, and advocate for civic education and public safety, whose work spans local academies and international security circles. With a career rooted in teaching, research, policy, and public engagement, he bridges theory and practice by making meaningful contributions to academic discourse, civic education, and public policy. Dr. Teope is widely respected for his critical scholarship in education, management, economics, doctrine development, and public safety; his grassroots involvement in government and non-government organizations; his influential media presence promoting democratic values and civic consciousness; and his ethical leadership grounded in Filipino nationalism and public service. As a true public intellectual, he exemplifies how research, advocacy, governance, and education can work together in pursuit of the nation’s moral and civic mission.

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