HOWIE SEE IT: Show of Force Vs. Show of Truth

By Atty. Howie Calleja

The spectacle surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, particularly the deployment of a sixteen-lawyer defense team, raises urgent questions about the nature of justice and the weight given to legal maneuvering over substantive truth. The sheer size of this legal force is striking. It reflects immense financial resources and political reach. This is not simply a legal defense. It is a calculated projection of influence, echoing the vast sums spent by both President Duterte and the Vice President in previous legal battles, including the high-profile Hague case.

The staggering legal fees involved are anyone’s guess, but the implication is troubling. Is expensive legal representation being used to pursue justice, or to overpower it?

This show of force invites public skepticism. The unspoken message seems clear: that overwhelming legal presence might shape perception, delay accountability, or drown out the facts. But truth does not need to shout. It needs to be seen and understood. As the saying goes, “The truth doesn’t need a barrage of lawyers.” The talent of the individual attorneys is not in question. Yet numbers alone do not deliver justice. It is the quality of the evidence and the clarity of the arguments that must lead the way.

At the heart of this trial is a deeper tension: spectacle versus substance. Will legal theatrics dominate the narrative, or will verifiable truth break through? This is more than a legal battle. It is a test of whether the Philippine justice system can resist the pull of wealth and political power.

The use of legal strategy to delay or deflect scrutiny is not new. It is a familiar move in the Duterte playbook. Past experiences have shown how legal processes are sometimes used not to clarify the truth but to complicate it. That is the concern now—that the size of the Vice President’s legal team may serve less to defend and more to shield. When the process becomes a tool of power rather than a path to accountability, democracy suffers.

But the Filipino people are not easily misled. They know when a proceeding seeks the truth and when it stages a performance. The danger is not just deception. It is disillusionment. What is truly at stake is not just the future of one official. It is the credibility of our institutions. If justice appears to favor those with privilege and deep pockets, then public trust in the system erodes.

This impeachment trial is more than a political moment. It is a test of our national conscience. Will we allow size and spectacle to define the strength of a case? Or will we hold firm to the idea that truth must stand on its own?

The outcome will matter for more than today. It will set the tone for the future. Let it be remembered not as a parade of political muscle, but as a moment when truth was given the chance to stand, speak, and be heard. That is what justice demands. And that is what the people deserve.