TACLOBAN CITY – The Apostolic Orthodox Church’s Asia Pacific Diocese has called on the Senate to immediately begin the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that continued delay constitutes a “betrayal of public trust” and reflects a “crisis of moral leadership.”
In a pastoral letter issued Friday, June 13, and signed by Metropolitan Bishop Jun Andrew Regidor, the Church urged senators to act with “clarity and courage” in fulfilling their constitutional duty, emphasizing that impeachment is “not a political weapon but a mechanism to uphold integrity in public office.”
“We caution against creating the perception that procedure is being used to defer or dilute substance,” Regidor wrote. “In matters of public accountability, timeliness is not merely administrative; it is moral.”
The statement came in response to the Senate’s decision to remand the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives rather than proceeding directly to trial—an action critics, including legal experts, have called constitutionally questionable.
Quoting Article XI, Section 3(6) of the 1987 Constitution, the Church stressed the Senate’s mandate to “try and decide all cases of impeachment,” and questioned whether returning the articles undermines this obligation.
The Church, based in Bohol with missions across Eastern Visayas, also condemned the use of religious rhetoric by politicians to justify procedural delays, calling it “a grave misuse of God’s name.”
“Delay invites decay. Evasion invites distrust. You are accountable not only to law but to the people’s moral expectations,” Regidor warned.
The letter also criticized senators who publicly defended Duterte before the trial, saying such actions undermine confidence in the Senate’s impartiality.
While avoiding partisan positions, the Church emphasized its duty as a moral voice: “In a democracy, silence in the face of wrongdoing is complicity.”
Vice President Duterte was impeached earlier this year by the House of Representatives on allegations including misuse of public funds and betrayal of public trust. The Senate has yet to convene as an impeachment court, with the 19th Congress set to adjourn on June 30.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
