Progressive organizations staged an anti-corruption rally outside the Senate in Pasay City on Tuesday, 13 October, demanding the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte while calling for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to face similar scrutiny over alleged corruption.
Labor lawyer Luke Espiritu, co-convenor of the Artikulo Onse coalition, said accountability should extend to all public officials implicated in wrongdoing, regardless of political affiliation.
"We calling for Sara Duterte to be held accountable for her corruption, for her crimes, and for her betrayal of public trust," Espiritu told DAILY TRIBUNE.
He said the coalition's campaign against Duterte should not be interpreted as support for the Marcos administration.
"We are not protecting Marcos. We call for all parties to be held accountable," Espiritu said.
Espiritu maintained that the evidence presented against Duterte was sufficient to justify her impeachment and conviction, while also alleging wrongdoing by Marcos.
"The evidence against Sara is strong; the evidence against Marcos is also strong. That is why we should not choose to impeach Sara or impeach Marcos; we should punish them both," he said.
The labor leader also criticized what he described as foreign influence over Philippine politics, alleging that both administrations have maintained financial ties with foreign governments.
"If Sara is receiving from China, Marcos is receiving from America. That is the binary way of thinking. The Philippines is being funded by foreign governments," Espiritu said.
He called for an independent foreign policy free from undue influence by China or the United States.
Asked about Duterte's alleged business interests involving foreign entities, Espiritu argued that the Vice President should divest from businesses while holding public office.
"Sara Duterte should divest because she cannot have a business interest while sitting as a vice president," he said.
Espiritu reiterated the coalition's demand for Duterte to face criminal accountability if wrongdoing is established but insisted that the same standards should apply to Marcos.
"We want her to be jailed. But we only have one condition: whatever standard they used against Sara Duterte, they should use it on all of them. They should also use it on Marcos," he said.
The allegations raised by protesters remain contested, and criminal liability would require separate legal proceedings and findings by the appropriate courts.
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