SENATOR-JUDGE Erwin Tulfo on Monday, July 20, 2026, urged his fellow members of the impeachment court to refrain from using the proceedings to air personal grievances or defend themselves against issues unrelated to the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a manifestation, Tulfo stressed that the tribunal was convened solely to hear evidence and arguments concerning the impeachment complaint against Duterte and should not be diverted by matters involving individual senator-judges.
He said the court's proceedings in recent days had been consumed by explanations from some members defending themselves against allegations unrelated to the impeachment case, adding that such matters should instead be addressed through other venues, such as press conferences, social media platforms, or during regular Senate sessions.
“Because the time we waste here to defend ourselves, defend what we believe or what have you is an injustice to the Vice President. ‘Yung oras po na ito dapat ilaan natin sa pakikinig sa depensa ng Vice President sa mga akusasyon laban sa Vice President, hindi po pagdedepensa sa mga sarili natin. Kung tayo ay inaakusahan ng kung anong mga ahensya, kung tayo po ay may mga kaso may mga imbestigasyon, this is not the right forum. This is not the right place. Dapat sa session natin,” said Tulfo.
His manifestation came after Senator Robin Padilla informed the impeachment court that the Office of the Ombudsman had accused him of failing to submit a counter-affidavit in connection with an obstruction of justice complaint filed against him.
Following Tulfo's remarks, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III proposed that manifestations touching on matters unrelated to the impeachment proceedings, including those made by Padilla, Tulfo, and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, be referred to the Senate proper instead of being discussed before the impeachment court.
"I do not have years of law, but I have 29 years of lawmaking," Sotto said, as he appealed for a distinction between the Senate's legislative functions and its role as an impeachment court.
Impeachment court presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero agreed that concerns involving senators in their capacity as lawmakers should be taken up once the Senate resumes regular session after the State of the Nation Address.
Escudero, however, acknowledged that the ongoing congressional recess has left senators with few opportunities to publicly raise such concerns.
He expressed hope that when session resumes next week, senators would be able to air grievances or seek inquiries into accusations against them in the proper forum, as senators rather than as senator-judges.
“I ask for the indulgence of the parties (defense and prosecution panels) to this case, wala po kasi kaming session. Ito lang ang pagkakataon na nakakapagsalita at nagkikita-kita kami habang recess kami pero umaasa ako na kapag nagresume na po ang Senado sa susunod na linggo matapos ang Sona ng pangulo, may pagkakataon na po ang bawat member ng Senado bilang senador hindi bilang senator judge na mailabas ‘yung mga hinaing o ‘yung mga nais nilang sabihin kaugnay sa anumang nagaganap o nangyayaring hindi tama sa kanila o ginagawa laban sa kanila and that I think is the proper forum for us to ventilate, look into and discuss, and if necessary investigate the accusation against senator judges in their capacity as senators,” said Escudero.
On Wednesday, July 15, Cayetano raised before the impeachment court what he described as an attempt to intimidate him through the reopening of the National Bureau of Investigation's probe into alleged irregularities involving infrastructure projects connected to the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Cayetano, who chaired the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee durin the regional sporting event, questioned the timing of the revived investigation and suggested it was being used to pressure him while the impeachment trial is underway. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)