Metro Manila, Philippines – Some lawmakers are weighing the strength of evidence against Vice President Sara Duterte and the possible political fallout from voting to impeach the popular leader from Davao City, a House leader said on Thursday, May 7.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor, a member of the National Unity Party (NUP) — the second-largest political party in the House of Representatives — said consultations with party members revealed concerns over how an impeachment vote could affect lawmakers politically.
“Ang mga congressman natin sa Mindanao at sa Central and Eastern Visayas, apektado dahil hindi maiwasang may suporta ang Vice President sa Mindanao,” Defensor told NewsWatch Plus.
“Kaya pinag-iingatan din ang kanilang kalagayan at sinisigurado ng partidong hindi sila negatively affected for the 2028 election, at the same time respecting their own conscience, their own assessment of the evidence,” he added.
[Translation: Our congressmen in Mindanao and in Central and Eastern Visayas are affected because support for the Vice President in Mindanao cannot be denied. That is why parties are also being careful about their situation and making sure they will not be negatively affected in the 2028 elections, while at the same time respecting their own conscience and their own assessment of the evidence.]
Defensor said political parties are now faced with a balancing act — weighing the evidence against Duterte while considering the possible impact on lawmakers in their districts and regions. He noted that some congressmen allegedly lost in the 2025 midterm elections after serving as prosecutors in the first impeachment attempt against Duterte.
“Sa lugar ng mga Duterte kapag bumoto ka pabor sa impeachment siguradong mababawasan ang boto mo. Pero at least masasabi mong pinanindigan mo kung ano ang tamang desisyon para sa sarili mo at para sa constituents mo,” he said.
[Translation: In Duterte bailiwicks, if you vote in favor of impeachment, your votes will be shaved. But at least you can say you stood by what you believed was the right decision for yourself and for your constituents.]
“Sana hindi na mangyari ito at sana intindihin ng mga tao na dapat bumoboto kami hindi dahil sa aming mga alyansa sa mga politiko, kundi dapat bumoto kami sa sariling naming pag-assess kung dapat bang manatili o matanggal sa pwesto ang isang mataas na opisyal,” he added.
[Translation: I hope that will no longer happen, and I hope people understand that we should vote not because of our alliances with politicians, but based on our own assessment of whether a high-ranking official should remain in office or be removed.]
Defensor clarified that while lawmakers are constitutionally bound to perform their duties, they also cannot ignore the possible impact on their districts and regions.
He said the NUP, for one, is not imposing a position on its members and is instead allowing lawmakers to cast a “conscience vote” based on their own assessment of the evidence against the vice president.
No reason to vote ‘no’
Deputy Speaker Ronnie Puno, the party chairman, earlier said that 30 out of the NUP’s 55 members plan to vote in favor of impeaching Duterte. The party had earlier said in February that it was “unlikely” to support impeachment unless new evidence emerged.
Defensor said Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth, discussed during the House justice committee hearings, became an “atomic bomb” that changed the minds of several lawmakers. He cited billions of pesos in transactions that were supposedly not declared in her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth.
“With the weight of evidence, we have no reason to vote ‘no’ dahil hindi naman nagpakita at nagpaliwanag ang Vice President kung bakit ganoon ang ebidensyang lumabas,” Defensor said.
[Translation: With the weight of the evidence, we have no reason to vote ‘no’ because the vice president did not appear and explain why such evidence surfaced.]
Defensor said he believes there is sufficient basis to send Duterte to trial over the unexplained wealth, as well as her alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and members of his family.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on whether to impeach Duterte on Monday, May 11. Defensor estimated that at least 180 lawmakers may vote in favor of impeachment, citing meetings among various political parties.
