NUP wavering won’t sway Defensor on VP Sara Duterte impeachment

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor said he will maintain his support for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, even as his political party signaled it may withhold backing for the move.

Defensor, a member of the National Unity Party (NUP), stressed that his position is based on his own assessment of the complaints filed against the vice president.

The NUP earlier indicated it may not support the impeachment unless new and compelling evidence is presented.

However, party leaders have yet to issue a final official stance and have said members may vote according to their conscience.

For Defensor, a previous public statement attributed to Duterte — allegedly claiming she had spoken to someone willing to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — is, by itself, sufficient ground for impeachment.

“Saying that you were in talks with someone ready to kill the President, in any year, will always be an impeachable offense,” Defensor said in an interview on Feb. 26, adding that he considers such remarks a betrayal of public trust.

He was referring to an earlier impeachment complaint in 2025 that cited Duterte’s alleged threat against the president, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The case was approved by the House of Representatives but did not proceed to a full Senate trial.

The Supreme Court later declared the articles of impeachment unconstitutional on technical grounds.

Because the Constitution allows only one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year, the complaints filed in 2026 could mark the first time the substantive allegations would be taken up anew.

Four impeachment complaints have been lodged against Duterte this year, including issues related to alleged misuse of government funds.

The House Committee on Justice is scheduled to begin deliberations on the new complaints on March 2.

Defensor was part of the House prosecution team for the Senate impeachment trial that did not proceed.

He said that if complainants and endorsers of the four new impeachment complaints are able to present additional evidence, this would further strengthen the case against the vice president.

While he respects his party’s internal discussions, the Iloilo lawmaker maintained that his vote will be guided by his understanding of the Constitution and the weight of the allegations.

“As a prosecutor, I will always do my constitutional duty… If Vice President Sara wins as President and her Vice President says the same thing, I will also sign the impeachment complaint,” he said.

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, impeachment complaints must be filed in the House of Representatives, which has the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment. A verified complaint may be filed by any member of the House or by any citizen with the endorsement of a House member. If the complaint is found sufficient in form and substance by the Committee on Justice, it is referred to the full House, where a vote of at least one-third of all members is required to send the case to the Senate for trial. The alleged misuse of government funds cited in the 2026 complaints relates in part to questions surrounding the use of confidential and intelligence funds by the Office of the Vice President, which became a major political controversy beginning in late 2023.