VP Sara wants ‘bloodbath?' De Lima, Diokno say impeachment trial a civilized process

Leila De Lima and Chel Diokno, representatives-elect of the Mamamayang Liberal and Akbayan party-lists, on Monday called the impeachment trial a civilized and sacred process.

They made their comments after Vice President Sara Duterte on saturday said, "I truly want a trial because I want a bloodbath.”

Both have accepted the invitation to be members of the House prosecution panel in the trial of the Vice President before senators, sitting as an impeachment court.

"Hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling ‘yun dahil ang impeachment trial ay isang civilized legal process at ang mangyayari doon ay malalaman ng buong bansa ang katotohanan," Diokno told reporters on the sidelines of the Comelec’s proclamation of the 2025 partylist race winners. 

(I don't know where it's coming from because the impeachment trial is a civilized legal process. Because of it, the country will know the truth.)

He said that Akbayan partylist, which got the most numbers of votes in the partylist race, was supporting the impeachment of Duterte to “know the truth, exact accountability, and pursue justice for the country.” 

In a separate interview, De Lima said Duterte was trying to “court sympathy” as the start of the impeachment trial drew near.

“Siguro ganon ang ginagawa ni VP Sara para lalo siyang, alam mo na, she’s trying to court sympathy dahil mapalapit na nga yung impeachment trial,” De Lima, the first nominee of Mamamayang Liberal, said after the proclamation ceremony. 

(Perhaps, VP Sara is doing that because she's trying to court sympathy because the impeachment trial is drawin near.)

“Hindi po ganon ang impeachment proceedings. Sagrado po ang constitutional process of impeachment na dapat wala itong puwang para sa kagluhan, para sa chaos, para sa drama or para sa theatrics,” she added.

(The impeachment proceedings isn't a bloodbath. The constitutional process of impeachment is sacred and it should have no space for chaos, drama, or theatrics.)

De Lima said that the rule of law should be followed in the impeachment process.

The House of Representatives has impeached the Vice President on February 5, accusing her of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption and other high crimes based on the following seven Articles of Impeachment:

• alleged conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. First Lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez;
• alleged malversation of P612.5 Million in confidential funds with questionable liquidation documents;
• alleged bribery and corruption in the DepEd during Duterte’s tenure by handing out cash to former DepEd Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado (Procurement Head), Bids and Awards Committee Member Resty Osias, DepEd Chief Accountant Rhunna Catalan and Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda;
• alleged unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets in the Vice President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth where her wealth increased by four times from 2007 from 2017;
• alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City;
• alleged destabilization, insurrection, and public disorder efforts, which include: boycotting the State of the Nation Address (SONA) while declaring herself "designated survivor," leading rallies calling for Marcos' resignation, obstructing congressional investigations by ordering subordinates not to comply with subpoenas, threatening bodily harm against the First Couple and Romualdez, among others;
• the totality of the Vice President’s conduct as the second highest official of the land.

Both representatives-elect refuted the Vice President’s claim that they were both “anti-Duterte since birth,” adding that they raised concerns based on issues, not personalities. 

Asked if she though the House prosecution panel had enough evidence to win the trial, De Lima said, “We are confident.” 

“Hindi sana ako um-oo, hindi sana ako pumayag na maging part of the prosecution panel kung ang sa tingin ko ay hindi malakas ang kaso,” the former Justice secretary and now congresswoman-elect said. 

(I would not have said yes to becoming a part of the prosecution panel if I didn't think the case was strong.)

De Lima said there’s strong pieces of evidence from the hearings in the House of Representatives that could be used in the impeachment trial.

'Winner-take-all'

Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor, one of the prosecutors in the impeachment trial, said the process didn't have to be a bloodbath.

“Maganda sigurong sabihin natin na ‘winner takes it all’ ang impeachment trial na ito. Hindi kailangan maging bloodbath. Gusto natin malinaw lang ang pagkakatatag ng ebidensya ng prosecution at ng defense teams,” Defensor, who won his reelection bid in the 2025 polls, said.

(It would be better to say it will be a winner-takes-all scenario. We don’t need a bloodbath. What we need is a clear presentation of evidence from both the prosecution and defense teams.)

“Gusto ko makita na handa si Vice President para sakaling ma-acquit siya… madaling tanggapin ng taumbayan, madaling tanggapin ng 215 members of Congress who signed the impeachment complaint. At sana, ‘wag pakialaman ng ating Korte Suprema ang impeachment. This is a purely political process,” he added.

(I want to see the Vice President well prepared so that in the event that she is acquitted, the public and the lawmakers who signed on her impeachment complaint will be able to accept it. And I hope that the Supreme Court will not stand in the way of the impeachment because this is a purely political process.) –NB, GMA Integrated News