Show proof or shut up.

This was Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre's response-slash-challenge to Senator Imee Marcos, after the latter claimed that House of Representatives members were being offered a massive "incentive package" to secure a "yes" vote for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Kung may ebidensiya si Senadora Imee, ilabas niya ang resibo. Pangalanan niya ang tumanggap, pangalanan niya ang nag-alok, at magsampa siya ng kaso. Kung wala, tigilan niya ang diversion at paninira sa buong Kamara,” Acidre said on Saturday, May 9.

(If Senator Imee has evidence, she should show the receipts. Name who received it, name who offered it, and file a case. If not, she should stop the diversion and slander against the entire House.)

The second-term congressman went on to remind the lady senator of the concept of inter-parliamentary, particularly between the House and the Senate.

“Senadora siya. Dapat alam niya ang bigat ng ganitong paratang. Ang Senado at Kamara ay kapwa sangay ng Kongreso. Ang respeto sa co-equal chamber ay hindi dapat optional, lalo na kung wala ka namang hawak na patunay,” Acidre said.

(She is a senator. She should know the weight of such an accusation. The Senate and the House are both branches of Congress. Respect for a coequal chamber should not be optional, especially when you hold no proof.)

The 318-strong House is currently perusing Committee Report (CR) No. 261, which contained the four articles of impeachment against Vice President Duterte.

Some 215 solons are expected to vote for the articles' adoption on Monday--more than twice the one-third vote threshold (106). Adoption will trigger Duterte’s impeachment.

According to senator Marcos, the alleged incentive being dangled to solons includes P5 million in cash, P3 million in additional Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) per month, and P150 million worth of projects.

Acidre says the timing of the allegation was very telling, as the House prepares for plenary action on CR No. 261 from the Committee on Justice.

He said the report was backed by hearings, documentary submissions, and sworn testimonies involving allegations of misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and grave threats on the part of the impeachment respondent, Duterte.

Acidre said attempts to shift the public conversation toward alleged payoff stories only distract from the substantive allegations already on record.

“Hindi puwedeng maghagis ka ng P5 million, P3 million kada buwan, at P150 million na projects tapos bahala na ang publiko sa tsismis. Hindi tsismis ang batayan ng boto sa impeachment. Ebidensiya,” Acidre said.

(You cannot just throw around P5 million, P3 million monthly, and P150 million worth of projects and leave the public to gossip. Gossip is not the basis for an impeachment vote. Evidence is.)

“Ang dapat pag-usapan ngayon ay P612.5 million na confidential funds, P6.77 billion na money trail, cash envelopes sa DepEd, at mga bantang umabot sa assassination plot. Iyan ang nasa rekord. Iyan ang dapat sagutin. Hindi iyong gagawa ka ng diversion para mailihis ang usapan sa tunay na isyu,” Acidre added, referring to Duterte’s articles of impeachment.

(What should be discussed now are the P612.5 million in confidential funds, the P6.77 billion money trail, cash envelopes in DepEd, and threats that reached the level of an assassination plot. Those are on record. Those are what must be answered. Not diversions meant to steer the conversation away from the real issues.)

The Vice President never attended any of the impeachment hearings held by the justice committee.

For Acidre, the suggestion that House support is being bought insults lawmakers who sat through the hearings and examined the evidence.

“Ang totoo, hindi pera ang nagpalaki ng bilang ng sumusuporta. Ang suporta sa impeachment ay resulta ng hearing after hearing, document after document, record after record na masusing siniyasat ng mga miyembro ng Kamara. Habang lumilinaw ang ebidensiya, mas dumadami ang kumbinsido,” he said.

(The truth is, money did not swell the number of supporters. Support for impeachment is the result of hearing after hearing, document after document, record after record thoroughly examined by members of the House. As the evidence became clearer, more were convinced.)