DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Labor, peasant and Lumad leaders renewed calls for accountability as they pressed for Vice President Sara Duterte’s conviction, saying the Article IV allegations reflect abuses against workers, farmers and Indigenous communities.
In a panel hosted by Davao Today Tuesday evening, Ariel Casilao, chairperson of Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), said Tuesday’s impeachment presentations could help show whether the allegations justify a conviction.
Casilao said peasant groups, including Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), UMA and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), were among the original complainants in an earlier impeachment complaint.
“Original complainant ang mga peasant organizations… KMP, UMA, ug Pamalakaya, tungod kay major stakeholder [sila], dako ang pinsala, dako ang epekto sa panahon nga ang mga Duterte mismo ang naggunit sa renda sa panggamhanan,” he said.
(“The peasant organizations were the original complainants… KMP, UMA and Pamalakaya, because they are major stakeholders and the damage and impact were great when the Dutertes themselves held power.”)
Casilao said Article IV is among the strongest because Duterte’s remarks were made publicly in an online press briefing and witnessed by many Filipinos.
“Direktang nasaksihan sa katawhan kung unsa ang gihimo ni Vice President Sara Duterte. Remember kung muingon si Digong, na patyon tika, kung muingon siya na kung di musukol pasukola, this has been the culture of impunity na pass on even to the daughter,” he said.
(“The public directly saw what VP Sara did. Remember when Digong would say, ‘I will kill you,’ or when he would say, ‘If you will not resist, then resist,’ this culture of impunity has been passed on, even to the daughter.”)
Rauf Sissay of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Southern Mindanao Region said the trial is a key mechanism for holding officials accountable, especially over public funds.
“Dili kini basta-basta nga istorya lamang kay ang nakataya dinhi kay ang pondo sa katawhan. Ang buwis sa katawhang Pilipino nga para unta diha sa mga programa ug mga solusyon nga makasulbad sa kakabos,” he said.
(“This is not a simple matter because what is at stake is the people’s money. These are the taxes of the Filipino people that should go to programs and solutions to address poverty.”)
Kat Dalon of Sabokahan Unity of Lumad Women said Lumad women also support the impeachment, citing Duterte’s time as education secretary and the closure of Lumad schools in Mindanao.
“Dili mi makalimot, isa siya sa nagpasara sa mga Lumad school sa Talaingod… naghikaw ug edukasyon sa daghan kaayong kabatanang Lumad,” she said.
(“We will not forget that she was one of those who closed the Lumad schools in Talaingod … and deprived many Lumad youth of education.”)
Dalon also criticized the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Last Mile Schools Program, citing two school-building projects in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, that she said remained unfinished despite millions of pesos in funding.
A 2025 Commission on Audit (COA) report flagged one project as not implemented and another as only partly completed.
Elmer Jon Mupas, editor in chief of Himati, the student publication of the University of the Philippines Mindanao, cited Duterte’s leadership of DepEd, pointing to concerns over learning quality, school facilities and teachers’ welfare.
“Sara Duterte’s neglect as secretary of education is clear. The Philippines’ Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores are low. The problems of inadequate facilities and teachers’ salaries were not properly addressed,” he said.
Casilao said impeachment is still a political process, but he called it an important venue for public accountability.
The impeachment trial opened Tuesday with prosecutors presenting their first witness.
The Senate heard testimony from NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who discussed the digital forensic probe into Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024, online briefing.
Prosecutors presented videos and digital evidence, while the defense challenged their admissibility.
The trial adjourned Tuesday night and will resume Wednesday. (davaotoday.com)
