A House prosecution spokesperson has urged the defense camp of Vice President Sara Duterte to present its evidence and witnesses before the impeachment court, instead of relying on what he described as social media noise and unverified narratives.
The lawmaker stressed that the impeachment proceedings should be anchored on sworn testimony and documentary evidence, not online commentary or public messaging campaigns.
“Hindi ito palakasan ng sigaw sa social media. Hindi ito paramihan ng vlog. Hindi ito pataasan ng ihi. Ang impeachment trial ay tungkol sa ebidensya at mga testigong handang tumestigo sa ilalim ng panunumpa,” House Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said in a statement.
He said the prosecution remains focused on preparing its case for presentation before the Senate, including documents and witnesses expected to support the allegations.
“We are preparing for trial, not for trending topics. We are preparing documents, witnesses, and evidence—not social media campaigns,” he noted.
The lawmaker also stressed that, despite numerous public statements and online activity from supporters of the Vice President, the defense has yet to publicly present witnesses or evidence that would directly counter the allegations in the Articles of Impeachment.
“Hanggang ngayon, wala pa kaming nakikitang malinaw na mga testigo o matitibay na ebidensya na inilalatag ng depensa,” he said.
He added that attempts to discredit witnesses do not address the core issues that will be tackled by the impeachment court, which he said must be resolved through evidence and sworn testimony.
“Hindi memes ang ebidensya. Hindi vlog ang testimonya. Hindi fake news ang depensa. Sa impeachment court, dokumento at testigo ang nagsasalita,” he pointed out.
The prosecution, he said, remains open to a robust defense and expects all relevant evidence to be properly presented during the trial.
“Kung may ebidensya silang magpapawalang-sala… ilatag nila. Kung may testigo… iharap nila,” he stressed, adding that the court will ultimately assess both sides based on the strength of their case rather than online narratives.