PASAY CITY, Philippines — San Juan City Lone District Representative Ysabel Maria Zamora on Tuesday brushed off personal and misogynistic criticism directed at her online following her questioning of a police witness during the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Zamora, who serves on the House prosecution panel, faced social media backlash over her mannerisms, speech patterns, and accent after leading the direct examination of Police Major Jerickson Sangalang on Monday.
Sangalang, chief of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office Records Division, testified regarding registered firearms linked to Duterte and her family.
“I don’t look at them, honestly. I don’t care,” Zamora said during a press conference Tuesday.
The second-term lawmaker noted that public figures often face online backlash regardless of their participation level in high-profile proceedings.
“Maski hindi ka magsalita, hindi ka mag-present diyan, iba-bash at iba-bash ka,” she said.
Addressing public comments regarding her delivery in English and Filipino, Zamora stated she remains true to her natural way of communicating.
“Sorry na lang kung ang tingin nila ma-English ako, o may slang ako ‘pag mag-Filipino ako. Pero gano’n eh,” Zamora said.
“So, hindi natin dapat patulan ’yan. And like I said earlier, get a life,” she added, addressing her critics directly.
Defending her direct examination of the witness, Zamora maintained that her questioning aligned with standard legal practice.
“Nag-present ako. Alam mo, ganyan ang trabaho ng abogado eh. I believe tama naman ang ginawa kong pag-present sa aming witness.”
She emphasized that public discourse should prioritize the substance of the testimony, which established that several firearms were registered under the names of Vice President Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio.
Prosecutors assert that these items were omitted from Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
“There’s a pattern of non-declaration or misdeclaration in the SALN of assets. Tandaan ho natin, firearms are assets, and assets should be declared in the SALN,” she pointed out.
Zamora called on observers to focus on the legal and evidentiary elements of the case as the trial unfolds.
“Sana ano lang, itaas natin ’yung level of discourse here, especially here in the impeachment proceedings,” she said.
“Dahil kailangan pong maintindihan ng mas madaming tao ang nangyayari dito sa impeachment,” Zamora added.