House prosecution adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers said Friday that Vice President Sara Duterte’s high trust and satisfaction ratings should translate into a higher standard of accountability as she faces an impeachment trial.
Speaking at an online press briefing, Barbers said public popularity does not place government officials beyond the reach of the law.
“Hindi naman ibig sabihin na kapag ikaw ay popular, hindi ka na puwedeng managot,” Barbers said.
“With the high popularity, trust and satisfaction ratings ng ating Bise Presidente, dapat mas mataas ang standards of accountability ng kanyang opisina. Hindi dapat lumalabag sa ating mga batas dahil iyan ang kanyang sinumpaang tungkulin,” he added.
Barbers said the impeachment process exists under the Constitution to hold even the country’s highest-ranking officials accountable.
“For me, the Filipino people deserve an answer after hearing and seeing all these evidence presented by the prosecution. Now is the time na masagot naman ‘yan ng kabilang panig o ng akusado,” he said.
He added that public trust and accountability are inseparable.
“The higher the trust, siyempre, the higher the accountability. Hindi mo pwedeng paghiwalayin ‘yon,” Barbers said.
House prosecution counsel and legal spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. echoed the view, saying popularity is not a defense against allegations of wrongdoing.
“Kasikatan, popularidad, hindi lisensya para gumawa ng hindi tama, lalo na para sa napakataas na posisyon na hinahawakan ng isang lingkod-bayan,” Tolosa said.
He added that the prosecution believes the public still expects Duterte to answer the allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment.
Barbers and Tolosa cited recent surveys showing continued public support for accountability. A Social Weather Stations survey conducted from June 20 to 29 found Duterte received a 58% satisfaction rating and a net satisfaction rating of +31. The same survey also found that 70% of respondents believe she should answer the allegations against her in the impeachment case.
They also cited an OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa survey conducted from July 4 to 11, which found that 71% of respondents believe the Senate impeachment court should decide the case based on the evidence.
