House prosecutor from Iloilo confident in conviction of Sara Duterte

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'We don’t need to look for [other evidence] because it’s already there. The evidence is brought about by [Duterte] herself,' says Iloilo 3rd District Representative Lorenz Defensor

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Iloilo 3rd District Representative Lorenz Defensor, one of the 11 House prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, expressed confidence that they have “good and strong” evidence to secure a conviction.

In an interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel on February 17, Defensor confirmed that they were already preparing for the trial but did not disclose which of the seven articles of impeachment he was assigned to handle.

He said their evidence consists of documents and videos, which are publicly available.

“I think we have strong evidence to secure a conviction, and that’s good because the evidence was already given to the public. The documents and the videos are all public. […] We don’t need to look for [other evidence] because it’s already there. The evidence is brought about by [Duterte] herself,” Defensor said.

He also confirmed that private lawyers were assisting them in preparing for the impeachment trial.

Defensor then alluded to the upcoming elections, stating that it was a chance for Filipinos to choose leaders with integrity.

“I think this is a challenge for Filipinos to choose leaders who uphold integrity in government, who will show the highest ethical standards because the highest officials cannot set a bad example,” he added.

Aside from Defensor, the House of Representatives appointed the following lawmakers as impeachment prosecutors on February 5:

• Gerville Luistro (Batangas-2nd)
• Romeo Acop (Antipolo City-2nd)
• Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (1-Rider Partylist)
• Joel Chua (City of Manila-3rd)
• Raul Angelo Bongalon (Ako Bicol Partylist)
• Loreto Acharon (General Santos City-Lone)
• Marcelino Libanan (4Ps Partylist)
• Arnan Panaligan (Oriental Mindoro-1st)
• Ysabel Zamora (San Juan City-Lone)
• Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon-2nd)

The impeachment trial will likely start after the 2025 midterm elections, as Senate President Francis Escudero has indicated a desire to commence after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Duterte, in a February 7 press conference, said her camp had anticipated the impeachment complaint and had been preparing as early as November 2023. – Rappler.com

This article is republished with permission from the Iloilo-based Daily Guardian as part of a content-sharing partnership for the 2025 Philippine elections.