A House prosecution spokesperson has raised concern over what he described as coordinated online efforts to discredit prosecutors, witnesses, and the ongoing impeachment proceedings, urging the public to instead focus on evidence and sworn testimony.
Following two days of pre-trial activity, the lawmaker said attention should remain on the substance of the case before the impeachment court rather than shifting to what he called a growing wave of misinformation and social media narratives.
He noted that public discourse has increasingly been shaped by online attacks rather than clarifications on the allegations set to be examined in court.
“Dalawang araw na ang pre-trial conference. Pero hanggang ngayon, ang nakikita ng publiko ay mas maraming pag-atake sa mga prosecutor at testigo kaysa sa mga paliwanag tungkol sa mga alegasyon,” House trial spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said.
He added that key questions remain unanswered and stressed that the process should ultimately be resolved through sworn testimony and admissible evidence.
“Kung hindi totoo ang mga alegasyon, sino ang magpapaliwanag? Kung may ibang bersyon ng mga pangyayari, sino ang magsasabi nito sa ilalim ng panunumpa?” he said, noting that potential defense witnesses have yet to be clearly presented to the public.
The lawmaker also reiterated that efforts to undermine witness credibility do not directly address the issues being tackled by the impeachment court.
“Ang pagsira sa kredibilidad ng mga testigo ay hindi awtomatikong nagpapawalang-bisa sa kanilang testimonya. Ang mahalaga pa rin ay kung ano ang mapapatunayan sa pamamagitan ng mga dokumento, ebidensya, at salaysay na ihaharap sa paglilitis,” Adiong said.
He urged the public to remain cautious about misinformation that may distract from the proceedings, emphasizing that the core of the trial should center on facts and admissible evidence rather than online narratives.