VP Sara Backs Rally Against Marcoleta's Looming Arrest Ahead of Impeachment Trial

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte endorsed on Tuesday, June 30, a surprise rally on EDSA led by the Iglesia ni Cristo in support of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, one of the senator-judges who will vote on her impeachment in a high-profile trial that opens next week. In a statement issued by her office, Duterte said the turnout reflected a "growing sentiment" against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she largely accused of using the justice system to silence critics. The INC — which endorsed the Marcos-Duterte ticket in 2022 — said on Tuesday it was protesting the Marcos administration for "twisting" the law to go after Marcoleta, who is one of its members. "[The Marcos administration] has weaponized the justice system by filing cases against and imprisoning individuals who dare speak out against alleged corruption and abuses in Malacañang, question the administration’s competence, or criticize the President, including allegations concerning his drug use," Duterte's statement read. Thousands of INC members massed at the People Power Monument early Tuesday after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the day before that his office would file a non-bailable plunder case against Marcoleta over P75 million in campaign donations he received before his 2025 Senate run. Marcoleta, a longtime Duterte ally, has alleged the charges are timed to remove him from the impeachment court before Duterte's trial begins next week. Duterte's statement is one of her clearest public alignments to date with the church bloc, whose supposed voting power in elections and street mobilizations have long been courted by candidates across the political spectrum. "A government that answers criticism with intimidation undermines the very democratic institutions it is sworn to protect," Duterte said. "This is no longer a matter of politics. It is a matter of the honor of the State." The rally shut down stretches of EDSA, the country's main thoroughfare, for much of the morning. Police also arrested several demonstrators after scuffles broke out when protesters used a bus to block the northbound lane. Marcos had cancelled his morning engagements, including a luncheon with foreign correspondents, to monitor the situation from Malacañang. Duterte faces four articles of impeachment, including the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, unexplained wealth, betrayal of public trust, and threats against Marcos and the First Lady. A conviction would remove her from office and bar her from future public service. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has said the chamber is studying ways to shorten a process originally projected to run for seven to eight months. Marcoleta's predicament. Marcoleta faces plunder and indirect bribery charges over P75 million in undeclared donations received in January 2025. This amount exceeds the P50 million plunder threshold and was found missing from both his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures filed with the Commission on Elections and his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. The evidence for the case filed against him came from Marcoleta himself: he had admitted receiving the donations during a Comelec investigation. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro has denied any political persecution of the known Duterte ally and said: "This evidence did not come from the administration, it came directly from Senator Marcoleta."