MANILA — House prosecution panel member and Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon has criticized Vice President Sara Duterte’s spokesperson, Atty. Paolo Panelo, for his vocal commentary regarding the ongoing impeachment proceedings.
Ridon challenged the spokesperson to focus on answering the actual evidence leveled against the Vice President rather than casting doubt on the motives and integrity of the senator-judges.
The legislator’s remarks came in response to Panelo’s recent press briefing, where the spokesperson questioned whether the senators had already predetermined their votes, whether the duration of the trial would impact their decisions, and if an expedited verdict would favor lawmakers eyeing runs in the 2028 elections.
“The daldal is deafening,” Ridon said.
“I think he can answer perfectly the questions that he had raised,” the lawyer-legislator added.
Ridon argued that Panelo’s remarks went beyond routine commentary and crossed into questioning the credibility of the judicial body handling the case.
He noted that pushing senator-judges to prematurely state their opinions could trap them into making statements construed as unlawful prejudgment, adding, “So I don’t think the senator judges will take that bait.”
The word war stems from the high-profile impeachment trial. Last October 13, the House prosecution panel moved to withdraw three out of the four original impeachment articles against Duterte.
The Senate impeachment court, led by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero acting as presiding officer, subsequently acted on the request and laid down the guidelines for the withdrawal, leaving the Article II charge regarding alleged unexplained wealth active for trial adjudication.