NUP unlikely to support Sara impeachment

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February 27, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — In the absence of “new evidence,” the second biggest political party in the House of Representatives will not vote in favor of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Unless compelling new evidence emerges during the course of these hearings that fundamentally alters the factual basis for the impeachment complaint, the NUP will most likely not vote in favor of this measure,” National Unity Party secretary-general Reginald Velasco said in a statement.

Several NUP members, however, said yesterday that they were keeping on open mind on the issue.

Lawmakers will begin scrutinizing the four impeachment cases on March 2.

“That is their decision. They have the freedom to decide,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing, when sought for reaction.

“The President and this administration do not control them. Whatever their decision is, most likely, they view it as an action that is good for their party,” Castro said.

“The President relies on the process and the evidence. Whatever evidence they see, they should pursue that,” she added.

In its statement, the NUP said its 40 members have “not seen the inclusion of new and material evidence that would warrant a departure from issues that have already been the subject of prior inquiries and extensive public hearings.”

The party which belongs to the super majority coalition warned the House leadership that impeachment is “not a political instrument nor a forum for revisiting matters already exhaustively examined.”

“Impeachment is one of the most important constitutional powers entrusted to Congress. It is a solemn constitutional mechanism for enforcing accountability at the highest levels of public office, and should be evaluated carefully in light of the evidence presented,” Velasco said.

Velasco served as the House’s secretary-general when Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez was speaker.

Assess evidence

But Velasco vowed that they would “not preempt such proceedings and remain prepared to assess any new evidence presented in the course of the deliberations,” adding Congress “must carefully allocate its time, focus, and institutional resources toward more pressing and urgent concerns.”

“The NUP expresses its confidence that the committee on justice will conduct the proceedings responsibly, judiciously, and in accordance with constitutional standards,” the NUP official said, apparently addressing panel chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro.

“An impeachment proceeding grounded on issues that have already been previously raised and examined would inevitably consume substantial time and attention from both chambers, resources which we believe would be better directed toward matters that have a more immediate impact on the economic stability, public safety, and the daily welfare of Filipinos,” Velasco said.

Velasco stressed the “party remains open to evaluating any new evidence that may arise and will assess such developments on their merits, guided solely by the Constitution and the rule of law.”

House Deputy Speaker Ronnie Puno chairs the NUP.

Meanwhile, four House leaders expressed belief the allegations of payoff raised by 18 men who identified themselves as former Marines were aimed at discrediting the impeachment cases against Duterte.

House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V and Reps. Joel Chua, Benny Abante and Julienne Baronda questioned the timing of the purported exposé, which they claimed was “intended to muddle VP Duterte’s impending impeachment hearings.”

“It’s really very hard if you live in your own kind of universe. We call it delulu, delulu. We don’t give much attention to those kinds of things primarily because they’re not true anyway. So, let’s not engage in delulu,” Ortega of La Union’s first district said, using the slang term for delusion.

‘Unfounded narratives’

Ortega said critics should refrain from peddling unfounded narratives, maintaining that the accusations being circulated have no factual basis and do not deserve serious attention, stressing that public should just ignore them.

Chua, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability, agreed.

“The timing is suspect. The allegations are intended to discredit the members of quad comm. Now, the justice committee which will hear the impeachment of the VP,” he said.

Abante, chairman of the House committee on human rights, theorized he is being targeted for denouncing alleged extrajudicial killings during the administration of Duterte from 2016 to 2022.

“The accusation that I accepted suitcases of cash is completely false, baseless, and malicious. I categorically deny it. This is simply the product of politics. I am being targeted because of the positions I have taken and the stands I have refused to compromise, particularly with regard to obtaining justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings,” he said.

“I stand by my record. I stand by my principles. I will not be deterred by fabricated attacks, and will continue to fight for justice for our countrymen,” he said.

Another senior administration lawmaker, Julienne Baronda of Iloilo City, said her name did not crop up in any flood control scam investigation.

“I choose not to engage in falsehoods and will instead pray for truth and fairness to prevail. For clarity, my name was never mentioned in the inquiries conducted by the House, the Senate, or by the ICI,” she said.

“The only reason I can think of for my name being dragged into this latest political circus is my association with a local personality who was someone critical of the previous administration and who is helping me navigate local politics,” Baronda said.

But the Vice President said the allegations of the 18 former Marines should not be dismissed right away.

“This issue is not a political issue. It is not a simple clash of personalities. It is about the fundamental principle of our national sovereignty and the limits of the interference of foreign institutions in the domestic affairs of our country,” Duterte said.

“I admire the courage of Zaldy Co’s former security personnel who dared to speak based on their personal knowledge about matters that I have known about for a long time. What they did was extraordinary because it could cost them their lives to reveal the truth,” Duterte said.

“Since then, there has been information regarding the alleged contact of some Philippine officials with International Criminal Court investigators and what they are doing here in the Philippines. As a result, I formally wrote to the President to get the administration’s position on record. His response was, ‘We will not cooperate in any way, shape, or form’ – a clear acknowledgement that the ICC’s actions were considered a violation of Philippine sovereignty,” Duterte pointed out. –   Alexis Romero, Bella Cariaso