THE House prosecution panel on Friday urged Filipinos to judge the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte based on the evidence presented before the Senate impeachment court, stressing that impeachment is about constitutional accountability, not popularity.
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, adviser and spokesperson for the House impeachment team, said surveys should not distract the public from the evidence being presented before the impeachment court.
“Hindi importante sa ngayon kung sino ang popular, dahil hindi nga po ito popularity contest o beauty pageant,” Barbers said during a press briefing.
Barbers was reacting to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which showed Duterte posting a “good” net satisfaction rating of +31 in June, up from +29 in March.
The June 20 to 29 poll found that 58 percent of respondents were satisfied with her performance, while 26 percent were dissatisfied.
Barbers said it would be difficult to draw conclusions from the survey without first knowing the exact questions asked and what respondents were evaluating.
“Kung alam natin kung ano ’yung tanong doon sa survey, siguro more or less magkakaroon tayo ng picture kung ano yung posibleng dahilan kung bakit,” he said.
Instead, he urged the public to closely follow the presentation of evidence before the Senate impeachment court.
“Ang ating importanteng makita at mabigyan ng pansin, ang paglalatag ng ebidensya. Dapat marinig, maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan, nang sa ganun magkaroon sila ng sariling konklusyon o opinyon dito sa usapin ng impeachment,” Barbers said.
He acknowledged that impeachment proceedings can be difficult for the public to understand because they involve legal and constitutional issues, but said the evidence presented in court would allow Filipinos to make an informed judgment.
“Mula mismo sa impeachment process, ito’y masalimuot na proseso. Napakahirap din maintindindihan ito,” he said.
“Kaya nga isa sa mga pamamaraan para ito maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan ay mailatag natin ang ebidensya. At diyan mismo siguro, that will already help the people to come up with conclusions or opinions on the issue.”
