House prosecution panel spokesperson Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong is so confident about the strength of the evidence against impeachment respondent Vice President Sara Duterte, he knows that only fake news has a chance of disrupting it.

“Sa lakas ng ebidensya, ang ipinantatapat na lang nila ay fake news. Kapag hindi kayang harapin ang articles of impeachment, gumagawa sila ng bagong multo para takutin ang tao,” Adiong said on May 23 during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.

(The evidence is so strong, all they can counter with is fake news. When they cannot face the articles of impeachment, they create new ghosts to scare the people.)

In the backdrop of Adiong remarks are Senator Imee Marcos' allegations that a constituent assembly among lawmakers was underway to extend the term of President Marcos until 2031, cancel the 2028 elections, or raise the presidential age requirement to disqualify Duterte.

“Hindi ito simpleng tsismis lang (These aren't simple rumors). These narratives are designed to deflect, distract, and poison public understanding before the Senate trial even hears the evidence,” Adiong said.

As such, the Midnanaoan called on civil society groups, the academe, media institutions, churches, and independent fact-checkers to work together in combating the growing wave of disinformation surrounding the upcoming Senate impeachment trial.

Senator Marcos--a known Duterte family ally--is one of the 24 senator-judges in the high-stakes trial.

The Senate formally convened as an impeachment court on May 18, while the Office of the Vice President (OVP) received the writ of summons on May 20. Senator Erwin Tulfo earlier said trial proceedings are expected to begin on July 6, with impeachment hearings to be conducted after regular Senate sessions.

Adiong said such rumors must be subjected to the same standards applied to any serious public claim. Without proof, he said, these narratives merely serve as political diversions from the actual impeachment case now before the Senate impeachment court.

“Hindi lang sila basta mga chismosang marites. Kapag sinasadya mong magpakalat ng kasinungalingan para ilihis ang hustisya, kalaban ka na ng katotohanan at pananagutan."

(They are not just idle gossips. When you deliberately spread lies to divert justice, you become an enemy of truth and accountability.)

He says public attention should remain focused on the articles of impeachment, which include allegations involving the misuse of P612.5 million confidential funds; unexplained wealth; bribery; and threats against the President, the First Lady, and a former House Speaker.

"Iyon ang kaso. Huwag nating hayaang tabunan ito ng fake news (That is the case. Let's not allow it to be buried under fake news),” underscored Adiong.

The twice-impeached Duterte has denied wrongdoing and described the impeachment case as politically motivated.

Adiong added that the impeachment proceedings should also serve as a national civic education moment, where Filipinos learn to distinguish evidence from insinuation, constitutional accountability from political noise, and truth from propaganda.

He urged universities, student publications, newsrooms, fact-checking organizations, legal groups, and civic formations to actively monitor impeachment-related claims, trace their sources, demand proof, and swiftly correct falsehoods.

Alonto Adiong warned that disinformation thrives by planting doubt before facts are fully presented--a tactic he said was especially dangerous in an impeachment trial where public trust in democratic institutions depends on evidence-based discourse.

“If there is evidence, present it. If there is none, stop using fear as a political shield. The Senate trial must be about facts, accountability, and the state of our democracy,” Adiong said.