House denounces smear campaign on VP Duterte impeachment

This, after various House members decried on Friday, Feb. 7 the fake statements being attributed to them in social media.

Among these statements were allegations that congressmen were forced to sign the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte, or were promised “ayuda” or financial assistance funds in exchange for their signatures.

1-Rider Party-List Rep. Rodrigo “Rodge” Gutierrez, Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, and Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz Defensor dismissed these as part of a campaign designed to discredit the impeachment process.

“We categorically deny such allegations,” Gutierrez said.

“This (impeachment) was an independent action. We believe it was done faithfully and truthfully by each member. They signified their intention and support of the impeachment complaint based on the merits of the case and nothing more,” he said.

Adiong echoed the sentiment, and noted that he expected misinformation and fake news to surface after the filing of the complaint.

“Nagsimula na po ang smear campaign sa prosesong ito. Wag ho tayong madadala sa ganitong klaseng fake news kasi ito ay paraan para ilihis kung ano po ang talagang merits nitong prosesong ito,” he told the public.

(The smear campaign on this process has begun. Let us not believe these fake news because it’s just a way to divert from the real merits of this process.)

Amid the false claims, Defensor underscored the constitutional obligation of the House of Representatives to pursue impeachment cases when necessary.

“There are certainly will be consequences to every elective official. But if I did not sign in this impeachment complaint and I did not accept the election as prosecutor coming from Iloilo, there will be far bigger and worse consequences if I turn my back on violations of the Constitution and I will not do my constitutional duty to prosecute it,” he said.

Among those who have complained of the fake news against them were Cagayan de Oro City 1st district Rep. Lordan Suan and Surigao del Sur 2nd Rep. Johnny Pimentel.

They were just two of the many Mindanaoans who signed the Senate-referred impeachment rap against the Vice President.

“It has come to my attention that a certain statement attributed to me is circulating across various media platforms. I want to make it unequivocally clear that I made no such statement. I repeat, I made no such statement,” Pimentel, assistant minority leader of the Commission on Appointments (CA), said in a Facebook post Friday.

“It is deeply concerning that certain individuals or groups are attempting to tarnish my reputation by fabricating and spreading falsehoods. The deliberate imputation of malicious statements to my name is a blatant act of disinformation, intended to mislead the public,” he added. — Ellson Quismorio