‘Sara’s response to impeach raps a non-answer’

MANILA, Philippines — Impeached Vice President Sara Duterte has no intention to officially rebut all Articles of Impeachment the House of Representatives sent to the Senate for trial, as she rehashed all her pronouncements during the House hearings.

“It’s a non-answer to the impeachment charges. They (VP’s counsels) just repeated it. Actually, it’s quite amusing because we thought due to their being actively engaging in media, they could at least give us some answers,” Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesman for the prosecution panel, said.

Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum hosted by journalist Marichu Villanueva on Wednesday, the Lanao del Sur first district congressman is convinced they have a solid case with the overwhelming amount of evidence against Duterte.

“Filipinos deserve to know the truth, to have clarity and for this issue to have closure. I still do believe that our senators also do understand that. This (impeachment trial) is a litmus test on how strong the fundamentals of our Constitution is,” he said.

“We are very confident in our evidence. Our main concern is how do we present our case in such a way that ordinary Filipinos will easily understand the process,” Adiong stressed, noting they even hold “mock trials,” proof that they respect the Senate Impeachment Court.

“I think the people are smart enough to notice that,” the lawmaker added, referring to machinations of Duterte’s senator-allies who are holding the minority senators hostage by delaying and diverting the issue to internal wrangling among senators.

“Based on surveys, 74 percent of our people want this impeachment trial to proceed. More than just the anticipated legal discussions, people have invested so much on this. They deserve a better explanation. What we want is for the Impeachment Court to proceed ASAP,” he said.

“We are confident in our potential witnesses to appear before the Impeachment Court. Let the evidence speak. I believe our senators – whatever affiliation – would still have a sense of statesmanship,” Adiong declared. “It is our basic duty to make sure that the prosecution stands and can weather political pressure.”

“Our team is committed to finish this up to the end,” he added.

Duterte’s four impeachment complaints include alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption and other high crimes, including bribery and conspiracy to commit murder.

The case for her alleged assassination threats against President Marcos, the First Lady and the former House speaker recorded during a press conference in 2024, have the strongest evidence, Adiong claimed.

The House of Representatives prosecution panel has five working days from June 1 to reply to Duterte’s response to the seven Articles of Impeachment.

Adiong heads the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms and is the lead sponsor of the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill authored by Speaker Faustino Dy III and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.