Sparse Crowds Greet Vice President Duterte's Impeachment Trial

MANILA, Philippines — Sparse crowds greeted the first day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) considering cutting its deployment in half. Supporters of both the Marcos and Duterte clans, as well as civil society groups, descended on Diokno Boulevard in Pasay yesterday, either to show support for the trial or castigate it. But by 4 p.m., police officers greatly outnumbered protesters: 5,140 to 315, as counted by the NCRPO. A group of Marcos supporters, who call themselves Sandugo, said their number was well into 1,000. They went to Pasay in gratitude to the Marcos government, they said. “You’ve seen how they (the Dutertes) attack the administration,” Sandugo founder Jet Gonzaga told reporters. “The administration is quiet. Our economy strengthened. At the same time, the poor have felt the government’s programs.” “We are in favor of impeachment,” Gonzaga declared. “She (Duterte) should be tried and convicted; that’s what we want. We’re just after the truth.” Duterte supporters, on the other hand, were more fervent in their support for the embattled Vice President. Some of them were seen shoving pedestrians, including senior citizens, with banners that read “Marcos, resign.” The pro-Duterte protesters nearly got into a scuffle with civil society groups under the coalition Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot, who marched from the Manila Film Center to the southbound lane of Diokno Boulevard, where the opposing camp was gathered. NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin said police allowed civil society groups to stage a protest in front of the Senate gate, even though their initial plan was to prohibit any rally there. Police, according to Aberin, will implement a first-come, first-served basis in the coming days. “If a group is positioned in a certain area, that’s their place already. Bottom line is we will separate them so that no group will mix,” he said. The NCRPO will remain on full alert status at least until this Wednesday, after which authorities will determine whether to keep that level or downgrade it to heightened status. For today, Aberin will reduce deployed police from 6,000 to around 3,000. NCRPO spokesperson Maj. Hazel Asilo added that Diokno Boulevard will be closed to vehicular traffic until tomorrow, except for vehicles going in and out of the GSIS complex. Labor coalition NAGKAISA, as well as the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), have both called on senators to rise above partisanship, reminding them that their duty is to the Constitution. “Allowing the impeachment process to proceed is not a declaration of guilt. It is an affirmation that no one is above the Constitution. The same standards of fairness and accountability expected of ordinary workers must equally apply to those who hold the highest offices in government,” NAGKAISA deputy general Nice Coronacion said. — Ghio Ong, Rhodina Villanueva, Evelyn Macairan, Emmanuel Tupas