ILOILO — Cong. Lorenz Defensor of the 3rd District is the lone lawmaker from Western Visayas in the 11-member House prosecution panel that will handle the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio before the Senate impeachment court.
Defensor, who also serves as House Senior Deputy Majority Leader, said he is prepared to take on the role as part of his constitutional duty, stressing that the Filipino people are waiting for the Senate to decide the case based on evidence and due process.
He added that while he would have welcomed more time to visit constituents in the mountainous areas of Janiuay and Calinog towns had he not been selected, he considers participation in the impeachment proceedings a constitutional responsibility.
Defensor said Filipinos are closely watching the impeachment trial and want to see whether the Vice President would ultimately be acquitted or convicted based on the strength of the evidence.
“Gusto makita sang mga Pilipino nga kun i-acquit okay lang kay ti amo na ang decision sang aton nga Senate impeachment court. Kung i-convict okay man kay sayuron mabug-at ang mga ebidensya kag dapat indi na magpadayun ang mataas nga opisyal,” he said.
The Ilonggo lawmaker also stressed that he would respect whatever verdict the Senate impeachment court delivers, saying the most important thing is to preserve the constitutional process.
“Ginabaton ko bisan ano ang decision, ma-acquit man o ma-convict, basta ang proseso sa idalom sang aton konstitusyon proteksyonan naton ini kay amo lang gid ini ang mekanismo nga mapakakas sa lider nga mga malain sa ulihi nga indi naton dali-dali nga makasohan,” Defensor added.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 12, formally elected the 11-member prosecution panel that will present the case against Duterte in the Senate trial.
Leading the prosecution team are House Committee on Justice chairperson Gerville Luistro and panel vice chairperson Jonathan Keith Flores, both of whom were among the nine lawmakers who abstained during Monday’s impeachment vote.
Also included in the prosecution panel is Cong. Leila de Lima, who earlier endorsed the third impeachment complaint against Duterte.
The full prosecution panel is composed of Luistro, Cong. Terry Ridon, Cong. Rodge Gutierrez, Cong. Ysabel Zamora, Defensor, Cong. Chel Diokno, de Lima, Cong. Kaka Bag-ao, Flores, Cong. Lordan Suan, and Cong. Joel Chua.
The House voted to impeach Duterte on May 11 over allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and an alleged assassination plot against Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
A total of 257 lawmakers voted in favor of impeachment — far exceeding the one-third constitutional requirement, or 106 votes, needed to elevate the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial. Twenty-five lawmakers voted against the impeachment, while nine abstained./PN