House Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan says the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte has nothing to do with the battle for the president's seat in 2028.

Libanan, the lead prosecutor in the case, has made this assertion amid the perception that Vice President Duterte is a top contender in the Palace race.

But Libanan argued that the presidency can't be predicted that easily, and that the 2028 elections was simply too far away.

"May kasabihan (We have a saying): Presidents are made in heaven, di ba (right)? Hindi natin alam kung sino ang magpe-presidente satin sa 2028. Walang nakakaalam (We don't know who will be the president in 2028. Nobody knows)," he told reporters in a recent press conference.

"History would tell us na pag malapit na, dun na lang, tsaka na lang natin nalalaman kung sino magpe-presidente. Malayo po ito sa ating--kung yan ang iisipin natin (History would tell us that we will only know who will become president once the elections are near. It's stil a long ways away if we think about it now)," Libanan said.

Duterte is facing seven allegations in the articles of impeachment that the House, acting as prosecutors, lodged against her. These articles of impeachment are constitutionally mandated to be heard by the Senate, while convened as an impeachment court.

Alluding to the congressmen's role as prosecutors, Libanan said: "Ang importante ngayon, tayo po ay nandito. May mga tungkulin po tayo dito sa mga sinumpaan natin na mga katungkulan. Kami po ay gumagawa lang ng aming obligasyon sa Constitution."

(We're here now and that's the important thing. We have our duty here that we swore to do. We're just performing our obligation under the Constitution. )

Asked to comment on some netizens' claims that the Vice President's impeachment was somehow linked to 2028, Libanan says that a lot of things can still happen.

"That is their opinion. Pero pwede ngang ma-dismiss after trial. Pwedeng ma-convict, pwedeng ma-dismiss. Mahaba pang paglalakbay na ito (But it can still be dismissed after trial. She can either be convicted or have her case dismissed. There's a long journey ahead).

"What does the Constitution provide? Yung whole procedure na ito ay pino-provide po ng ating Constitution (This entire procedure is provided for by our Constitution)," Libanan said.

The seven articles of impeachment against Duterte are as follows:

Article 1: Conspiracy to assassinate President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez; 

Article 2: Malversation of P612.5 million in confidential funds;

Article 3: Bribery and corruption in Department of Education (DepEd);

Article 4: Unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets; 

Article 5: Involvement in extrajudicial killings (EJK);

Article 6: Destabilization, insurrection, and public disorder; and

Article 7: The totality of respondent's conduct as Vice President.