A petition has been started by supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo urging the Department of Justice “to immediately dismiss the Sedition Charges against Vice President Leni Robredo and commit to the upholding of her constitutional mandate to serve the Filipinos.”

The petition also argues that the charges are “an insult to our democracy.”

We disagree. The charges are precisely part of our democratic process: people are charged for crimes based on preliminary and sufficient evidence. Those charged are given the chance to answer the charges — in court.

We also believe that based on the 2016 Vice Presidential electoral protest still pending, Robredo’s “constitutional mandate” is in question. More importantly, it is not the Vice President’s — or any elected official’s — constitutional mandate to discredit or destabilize our government.

For the Justice Department to dismiss the Sedition charges against Robredo based on  several thousand signatures to an online petition is to disregard our democratic process  and the rule of law.

We have trust in the integrity of our Justice Department and look forward to the pursuit and resolution of these very serious allegations that endanger not only our duly-constituted government, but the very core of Filipino rights and independence.