NUP wants 'smoking gun' in impeach raps vs Sara

THE National Unity Party (NUP) on Monday urged the House Committee on Justice to make sure it has an airtight impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte before its members decide to vote in favor of sending the complaints to the Senate for trial.

- BY WENDELL VIGILIA Reporter

“Now that the House Committee on Justice has voted on the substance of the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, the National Unity Party urges the committee to present new evidence and a stronger case as the hearings proceed,” party chair Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said in a statement.

Puno added: “Impeachment is a serious constitutional process that must be anchored on clear, compelling, and credible evidence. In the absence of such evidence, it will be very difficult for members of the National Unity Party to vote in favor of transmitting the impeachment complaints to the Senate for trial.”

“The NUP does not want to send a weak case to the Senate only for it to be summarily dismissed. Doing so would only weaken the credibility of the impeachment process and diminish the gravity of this constitutional mechanism," he said.

Puno also disputed news reports that the NUP has walked back on its previous stand in favor of the impeachment, saying the position of the party, the second-largest political party in Congress, "remains consistent."

"We reiterate that we cannot vote in favor of a rehashed case resting on previously presented information that, in our opinion, remains weak and inconclusive," he said. "We will closely observe the hearings and carefully evaluate the evidence that will be presented. We hope the committee will reveal stronger proof and, if warranted, the proverbial 'smoking gun' that would justify elevating the matter to the Senate," Puno said.

The House Committee on Justice last Thursday formally served a notice requiring the Vice President to respond to the two verified impeachment complaints filed against her after the panel found both to be sufficient in form and substance.