[Be The Good] Senator-judges, the people are watching

Hello!

On the first two days of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, I’ve been tuning in to our livestream in between meetings and other tasks, not wanting to miss any of the action.

If you’re the same, you might have heard this sentiment voiced many times: that a big part of this impeachment trial is the “court of public opinion.” 

No doubt about it, the public is watching. How do we know? We asked them ourselves.

In the last two days, our civic engagement arm MovePH, amplified perspectives and reactions of Filipinos who took part in watch parties of the trial. 

On day one, community engagement specialist Joan Alindogan and intern Francine Lauron attended a watch party organized by civil society group Bantay Senado in a barangay hall in Quezon City (QC). 

On day two, Mover and former fellow Joem Thayer talked with students of the University of the Philippines-Baguio who took part in their own watch party on campus grounds.

Gomer Garcia, a freelance photographer and QC resident, said he monitored the trial on his phone. Why bother? “Unang-una, nanood ako dahil may dalawa akong anak (First, I’m watching it because I have two children),” he said.

He said he felt it was important to witness the trial himself, rather than get second-hand information from others. He wanted to impart the same care for accuracy and facts with his kids. 

“They should base their opinions on the proceedings themselves. Based on that judgement, we will then discuss,” said Garcia. 

For James Rafael Barra and Sierra Andrea Luarez, two student leaders from UP Baguio, their main concern is to get to the truth about the corruption allegations hounding VP Duterte. For Sierra, Duterte has yet to adequately respond to these accusations. How Duterte, a former education secretary, handled those funds is important to Sierra, a student at a public university.

But it’s not just the substance of the discussions, people are also observing body language and the dynamics between personalities.

For Maricel Aderiatico, another QC resident, she didn’t like it when the senator-judges interrupted one another. “Hindi puwede ‘yung pagtawanan nila ‘yung kapwa nilang judge…. Parang hindi pa nila pinapatapos ‘yung explanation noong isa nating senator na judge, inaano na nila kaagad,” she said.

(They shouldn’t make fun of their fellow judges…. They aren’t letting a senator-judge finish their explanation, then they’re at it again.)

How about you? What’s your take on the trial so far? Which side right now is more convincing to you — the defense, or the prosecution? Which, for you, is the one burning question you want this trial to answer?

We’d love for you to share your opinion, or questions, in our dedicated chat room on the Rappler app: the Impeachment Trial chat room. 

If you’re looking for expert analyses and quick explanations of developments as they unfold, our livestream includes commentary right before the 2 pm trial, and right after it is adjourned for the day.

This impeachment trial affects all of us in many different ways. Because ultimately, what is on trial is our country’s ability to hold public officials accountable. Fellow Filipinos, let’s keep them on their toes.

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– Rappler.com

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