Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas launched a scathing critique against the Senate on Sunday, May 17, questioning its recent leadership transition and accusing the institution of shielding Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from an international arrest warrant.
In a pastoral letter titled “Sad and Angry, but Brave and Hopeful,” the former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) suggested that the ouster of Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III in favor of newly installed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano was a calculated political move to derail the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“The sudden change in the leadership of the Senate is like graffiti on the wall showing another devious plan to delay the trial,” Villegas stated. “It was not for the country but for somebody.”
The prelate further slammed the upper chamber following reports that it plans to place Dela Rosa under protective custody.
Dela Rosa, a key architect of the Duterte administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign, has reportedly gone into hiding amid moves by international authorities to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity.
“The Senate is now used as a shield for a suspect-at-large with a valid warrant of arrest from a lawful court,” the archbishop remarked.
With political tensions mounting over both the ICC controversy and the Vice President’s impending impeachment trial, Villegas challenged the public to combat institutional corruption by actively participating in the democratic process and using the power of the ballot.
“Reject the corrupt in the next elections. Review and evaluate their records of public service. Your vote is your power. Use it to the maximum,” he urged.
Warning Filipinos that silence and neutrality only serve to enable abuses of power, Villegas called for sustained, non-violent civic action to demand accountability from public officials.
“We must apply constant moral pressure not through violence or coercion but through conscience and conviction,” Villegas said.