Former Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Robert Ace Barbers, who serves as an adviser to the House impeachment team, insisted that persistent denials from Vice President Sara Duterte cannot obscure the concrete proof of her purported death threats targeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the First Family.
The statement from Barbers came after Duterte, the subject of the ongoing Senate impeachment trial, claimed on Tuesday, July 14, that the allegations against her were completely baseless.
The former congressman emphasized that the prosecution’s case does not rely on conjecture. He pointed out that the video recording of Duterte’s controversial November 23, 2024 remarks had already been submitted to the Senate impeachment court.
Barbers highlighted that both prosecution and defense lawyers have acknowledged and utilized the exact same video clip during the trial.
”Hindi mabubura ng bagong press statement ang lumang video na napanood na ng buong bayan,” Barbers said.
Barbers stressed that the prosecution did nothing more than present Duterte’s own public utterances directly to the impeachment court.
”The prosecution did not invent the Vice President’s words. We did not put those words in her mouth. We simply presented to the impeachment court what she herself said,” he said.
Furthermore, Barbers noted that the Vice President’s remarks were delivered in a public forum, captured on video, verified, and formally introduced into the court record by witnesses testifying under oath.
”The Vice President now asks the public to believe that the statements she herself publicly made were not threats. But those statements were not whispered in private. They were made publicly, recorded, authenticated, and presented before the impeachment court through competent witnesses under oath,” Barbers noted.
He went on to argue that repeating denials does not alter historical facts.
”Hindi nabubura ang katotohanan sa pamamagitan ng paulit-ulit na pagtanggi.”
The contentious statements, broadcasted by Duterte during a public press conference on November 23, 2024, targeted President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Barbers also critiqued the defense team’s strategy, arguing that it essentially demands the public to ignore what they personally saw.
”What is truly remarkable is that the defense’s position would require the Filipino people to disregard what they themselves saw and heard.”
He continued:
”Millions of Filipinos witnessed those statements when they were first made. They have since been authenticated and presented before the court.”
Barbers challenged the defense lawyers to pinpoint any specific evidence they claim was falsified if they believe the prosecution’s case is built on lies.
”Kung may pineke, sabihin kung alin. Kung may nagsinungaling, ituro kung sino. Ang malawak na paratang ay hindi kapalit ng ebidensya. Ang hinihiling ngayon ng depensa ay huwag paniwalaan ng taumbayan ang sarili nikang nakita at narinig. Pero hindi ganoon gumagana ang katotohanan,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Duterte maintained that the impeachment complaint lacks solid evidence and accused her detractors of spinning a fabricated narrative about assassination threats.
”Repeatedly claiming that there were threats when none existed, inventing an assassin where there was none, and fabricating evidence to support those claims does not transform fiction into fact,” she said.
Despite Duterte’s dismissals, Barbers expressed confidence that the Senate impeachment court will decide the case solely on the formal evidence presented during the trial and in line with constitutional processes, rather than through media spins or public statements.