The house prosecution panel on friday urged vice president sara duterte to directly answer the allegations against her instead of criticizing the impeachment proceedings:he House prosecution panel on Friday urged Vice President Sara Duterte to directly answer the allegations against her instead of criticizing the impeachment proceedings, saying attacks on the process could undermine public confidence in the constitutional accountability mechanism.
According to Philippines News Agency, the prosecutors were responding to Duterte's remarks in Davao City after attending the Thanksgiving Mass for the Kadayawan Festival, where she claimed the impeachment proceedings had been marked by legal irregularities. House prosecution legal spokesperson Benjamin 'Jay' Tolosa Jr. said Duterte's remarks amounted to a sweeping accusation against the constitutional process.
"This sweeping accusation necessarily casts doubts on the integrity of this constitutional process," Tolosa said during an online press conference. "It also, not just the process itself, but the impeachment court, and of course, ultimately, the presiding officer who is responsible for the conduct of the proceedings and the rulings being issued," he added.
Tolosa noted that such accusations were "uncalled for," pointing out that even Duterte's defense panel had earlier acknowledged that the presiding officer had been fair to both sides. "Even the defense . have always said that they think the presiding officer has been fair to both parties," Tolosa said. He added that it was ironic for Duterte, who is facing an impeachment complaint that includes a charge of culpable violation of the Constitution, to question the constitutional process designed to determine accountability.
House trial spokesperson and impeachment team adviser Robert "Ace" Barbers also urged Duterte to address the allegations instead of criticizing the proceedings. "Rather than issuing statements that are 'attacking the process,' the integrity of the process being done in the Senate now, it's better that she appears and answers all these allegations," he said.
Barbers also emphasized that Duterte's standing in opinion surveys has no bearing on the impeachment trial, stressing that the proceedings are based on evidence rather than popularity. "Even if the Vice President appears to be the leading choice of the respondents to the surveys on voter preference for the 2028 presidential elections, it does not mean anything in the impeachment trial where exacting accountability is the primary objective," he said. Barbers appealed to senator-judges to decide the case based solely on the evidence presented.
