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MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of the impeachment vote on Monday, Rep. Joel Chua (Manila) warned that fake news and troll operations are distorting public understanding of the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, urging Filipinos to scrutinize claims instead of accepting them at face value.
Speaking on One News' "Politika All the Way" on Saturday, May 9, Chua said misinformation had clouded debate over the case even as evidence against Duterte continued to pile up.
"Could you imagine they're spending hundreds of millions on fake news, on trolls? Saan nanggagaling ang mga perang ito? Ang daming pera para lang manira," Chua said. (Where is all that money coming from? So much money just to destroy people.)
"Ngayon, nawala na ang mga legitimate news. Mas pinanonood na ang puro fake news. Kaya kung minsan, ang pag-iisip natin, fake na rin. Hindi mo na alam kung ano ang totoo at kung ano ang hindi," he added. (Now legitimate news is disappearing. People are watching fake news instead. Sometimes even our thinking becomes fake. You no longer know what is true and what is not.)
Chua, who is expected to lead the plenary vote to formally transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, pushed back against claims that the proceedings were meant to politically weaken Duterte ahead of the 2028 elections.
"Impeachment is a process. It is a process of accountability," he said.
He stressed that the complaints originated from civil society groups, not lawmakers.
"Ang complainant dito, religious groups at civil society. Ang Congress, ang trabaho lang namin ay gampanan ang trabaho namin ayon sa Saligang Batas dahil ito ay ni-refer sa committee namin," Chua said. (The complainants here are religious groups and civil society organizations. Congress is simply doing its job under the Constitution because the complaints were referred to our committee.)
"Kung walang nagreklamo, wala namang ire-refer sa amin. Wala rin naman kaming iimbestigahan," he added. (If no one filed complaints, nothing would be referred to us. We would have nothing to investigate.)
Chua said impeachment should also be viewed as a test of fitness for public office, particularly if Duterte intends to run for president in 2028.
"Kasi kung sasalang ka sa 2028, hindi ba maganda rin na iyong sasalang ka, wala ka nang baggage na dala-dala? Nalinis mo na ang mga allegation sa iyo," he said. (If you're running in 2028, wouldn't it be better to do so without baggage? That the allegations against you have already been cleared?)
'They will answer to the people'
Senators and lawmakers would ultimately answer to voters for how they handle the impeachment case, Chua said. Should the case fail in the Senate despite evidence, he warned that elected officials would still face accountability.
"Eh di mananagot sila sa taong bayan," he said. (Then they will answer to the people.)
"Pagdating sa 2028, sasabihin sa kanila: bakit iyon ang naging boto mo? Sisingilin ka ng taong bayan," he added. (Come 2028, people will ask them: why did you vote that way? The public will hold you accountable.)
Chua said the proceedings could even benefit Duterte, who had announced her intention to run for president, if she is eventually cleared.
"Kung eventually na-dismiss siya, dapat nga pasalamatan pa niya kami," he said. (If she is eventually cleared, she should even thank us.)
"Dahil pagdating ng 2028, hindi na puwedeng gamitin laban sa kanya ang mga isyung iyan. May desisyon na. Hindi ako guilty. Makakatakbo siya, at makakapag-focus siya sa programa na gusto niya," he added. (Because by 2028, those issues can no longer be used against her. There will already be a decision. She can say she's not guilty, run for office and focus on her agenda.)
Chua said the stakes are higher because the presidency affects the entire country. "Dahil kung nagkamali ka, buong bansa ang damay," he said. (Because if you make a mistake, the whole country suffers.)
The lawmaker was previously designated the lead prosecutor of the impeachment case against Duterte last year.
