Defensor: law applies to all, including Duterte

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

“Accountability must apply to all, or none at all.”

MANILA — Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor said no one is above the law, regardless of age, social status, or public office, including Vice President Sara Duterte.

Defensor, the lead House prosecutor for Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, made the statement as the Senate impeachment court heard the charge accusing Duterte of grave threats and inciting to sedition on the trial’s second day, Tuesday, July 7.

He argued that there is a stark contrast in how the law is enforced against ordinary Filipinos and the vice president.

To illustrate his point, Defensor cited the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, which killed three students and involved two minor suspects.

“The message is clear: being a minor does not mean one is free from accountability. Responsibility still exists, although the manner of enforcing it differs under the law,” Defensor said.

He also cited the government’s strict enforcement of its zero-tolerance policy against bomb jokes and bomb threats, particularly in airports.

Defensor also referenced the arrest of a public school teacher in Zambales in May 2020 after the teacher posted on social media offering a PHP 50,000,000 reward to anyone who would kill then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

“What is the principle here? Accountability is enforced on everyone—whether young or old, whether an ordinary citizen or someone holding public office,” Defensor said.

The charge of grave threats stems from a November 2024 online press briefing in which Duterte publicly said she had hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if anything happened to her.

The allegation became one of the articles cited by the House of Representatives in its impeachment complaint against the vice president.

Duterte has denied any criminal intent and has argued that her remarks were taken out of context.

Defensor argued that if the Senate impeachment court fails to act on the alleged threats, Filipinos may conclude that even the country’s highest-ranking officials can make violent threats without consequences.

“Lest the public come to believe that threatening public officials and fostering a culture of impunity are conduct that may be tolerated or condoned, especially coming from the second highest official of the land,” Defensor said.

He argued that the vice president’s statements should not be treated merely as ordinary criminal offenses but as constitutional violations that make impeachment the proper mechanism for ensuring accountability.

“At the heart of this impeachment proceeding lies a fundamental question to all of us: Can we continue to entrust one of the highest constitutional offices to a public official who, on multiple occasions, purposely, willfully, and repeatedly resorted to threats of violence against the very institutions she swore to uphold and protect?” he said.

Defensor added that the prosecution’s evidence would include witness testimony, authenticated documents, and Duterte’s own public statements.

“[It came] from the vice president’s own words, own conduct, her very own public admissions. Her words were neither accidental nor taken out of context. They were uttered publicly with the intention to be taken seriously,” he said.

He argued that the alleged threats carry greater weight because they came from the vice president, the constitutional successor to the presidency, rather than from an ordinary citizen.

“Such statements carry a gravity far from exercise of one’s freedom of expression, a strike at the very heart of government,” he said.

Defensor also argued that the alleged threats are especially concerning because Duterte has expressed her intention to seek the presidency in the 2028 elections.

The Iloilo lawmaker said those who occupy the nation’s highest offices are expected to uphold delicadeza, honor, integrity, and fidelity to their oath of office.

“These are not outdated ideals; they are the foundations of honorable public office,” he said.

As Defensor began his manifestation, defense counsel Atty. Carlo Narvasa objected, arguing that the prosecution’s presentation was improper in an impeachment trial.

“This is improper — improper for a trial. This is not a manifestation proper for court procedure. This is them telling a story. This is a narration by the prosecution, which is not allowed by any rule in any court,” he said.

Narvasa argued that the prosecution should proceed directly to presenting its first witness.

The prosecution panel later presented National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung as its first witness on Article IV.

The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, is hearing the complaint approved by the House of Representatives against Duterte.

The prosecution is seeking to prove that the allegations constitute culpable violations warranting her removal from office under the Constitution.

The impeachment trial, which formally opened Monday, July 6, with Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero elected as presiding officer, is expected to run for 92 trial days across the four articles of impeachment.