“Never Forget”: Duterte Defense Unleashes Historical Echoes, Challenges Impeachment Legitimacy

Chief counsel Shiela Sison

“Never Forget”: Duterte Defense Unleashes Historical Echoes, Challenges Impeachment Legitimacy

By Bing Jabadan – TheNATIONWEEK.com | July 7, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – In a highly anticipated opening, Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense panel launched its impeachment trial with a forceful challenge to the proceedings, invoking the potent anti-Martial Law cry, “never forget.” 

Chief counsel Shiela Sison, a figure of formidable legal intellect, delivered a meticulously articulated statement that resonated with historical weight and political defiance, directly confronting the prosecution’s attempt to unseat a leader elected by over 32 million Filipinos.

Sison underscored the profound historical implications of the trial, asserting that it not only engages constitutional principles but also tests the enduring memory of the Filipino people. “The present undertaking of this court… carries the imprint of our nation’s history because the Filipino people have shown that they never forget. We, as a nation, never forget,” she declared, linking the present impeachment attempt to past struggles and the collective will of the electorate.

She starkly contrasted the Vice President’s mandate with the political leverage of her accusers. “The prosecution proposes that we unseat the vice president elected to office by more than 32 million Filipinos – a number exceeding that of the sitting president and vastly greater than any individual vote secured by the members of the House of Representatives now seeking to undo this people’s choice.” This strategic comparison aimed to highlight the perceived democratic deficit in the impeachment effort.

The defense also vehemently questioned the procedural integrity of the impeachment process itself. Sison criticized the House of Representatives’ approach, recalling a prior attempt to impeach Duterte, which the Supreme Court declared void due to “grave abuse of discretion.” 

She powerfully argued that the constitutional standard of accountability applies equally to all public officers, including the prosecutors, and cautioned against a repeat of past procedural missteps.

Sison dismantled the House’s characterization of its pre-trial proceedings as a “mini-trial,” emphasizing that only the Senate holds the power of a full impeachment trial. She accused the House Committee on Justice of conducting a “vast fishing expedition” and “curating” evidence to construct a predetermined narrative against the Vice President, even before the case reached the Senate.

Addressing the substantive accusations, particularly concerning the alleged misuse of confidential funds, Sison stated unequivocally that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved Duterte’s request for these funds through former budget secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

Furthermore, she pointed out that the Commission on Audit’s notice of disallowance on the confidential funds did not detail findings of “misuse,” strategically undermining a core premise of the prosecution.

Concluding her impactful address, Sison reiterated the fundamental constitutional rights protecting an individual against the “deep and vast machinery of the entire state.” Her opening statement was a masterclass in legal and political communication, meticulously crafted to frame the impeachment trial not merely as a legal battle but as a critical test of democratic principles, historical memory, and the rule of law in the Philippines.

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