Current and former House members whose names were implicated to supposed playoffs during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday, June 4 said the claims were simply meant to distract from the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The sub-committee hearing--presided by Senator Rodante Marcoleta and attended by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano--featured lawyer Levi

Baligod and the 18 ex-Marines who allegedly acted as bagmen in the multi-billion peso flood control projects corruption scandal.

Among those mentioned was former Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, overall chairman of the famed House quad-committee (quad-comm) during the previous 19th Congress.

For him, Baligod and the soldiers would be better served by going to the court. "Sa korte na lang kayo magpaliwanag (Go to the court and explain yourselves)."

Barbers said these supposed resource persons have already been charged in court by the various personalities they have implicated during their previous appearance before the Blue Ribbon panel.

“While I cannot comment on the case I filed against these people, I would like to point out that the ongoing meeting is a serious political destabilization effort and meant to divert attention from the impeachment of VP Sara [Duterte] to the alleged flood control scandal," the former three-term congressman said.

"The people can discern that the show is about discrediting the House of Representatives as well as the ICC (International Criminal Court)," Barbers noted.

"The proper fora for such show are the local courts under whose jurisdictions the cases now fall and the ICC that has already ruled time and again as to its jurisdiction over complaints against former president Rodrigo Duterte,” he said.

Reacting to the virtual name dump carried out in the hearing, Barbers said: “That’s incredible! This is the tone now being sung by these people."

"Imagine their statements as to the source of the alleged payout money. Not a single one of them ever saw nor touched the alleged money. All they are saying are maletas (luggages), paper bags and envelopes. Any lawyer worth his salt will never dignify such story-telling-a-lie by any witness.

"I hope that the proper courts are taking note of this charade in the name of justice,” Barbers said.

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the House prosecution panel in Vice President Duterte's upcoming trial in the Senate, flatly denied involvement in payoffs.

"Kasinungalingan ang testimonya ni Jowly Cadiao. Walang maleta na idineliver sa akin sa kahit anumang panahon o sa kahit saan mang lugar (Jowly Cadiao’s testimony is a lie. No suitcase was ever delivered to me at any time or in any place)," said Ridon, who was also named.

"Tandaan: Tuloy ang impeachment trial. Walang kasinungalingan o gawa-gawang testimonya ang makapipigil sa House prosecution panel na magtuloy sa paglalahad ng katotohanan sa paglilitis ng Pangalawang Pangulo," he added.

(Remember: The impeachment trial will push through. No falsehood or fabricated testimony will stop the House prosecution panel from presenting the truth in the trial of the Vice President.)

Another House prosecutor whose name was mentioned, Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, echoed both Barbers' and Ridon's take on the Blue Ribbon panel hearing.

"These are known critics of the Vice President. They wanted to discredit our credibility. Anyway, I already filed a complaint against them. Let us just await the outcome of the case," he said.

Yet another public prosecutor in Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima dismissed as "blatant lies" the claims made about her during the Senate hearing.

"I have already responded to these blatant lies and filed libel/cyberlibel complaint before the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and perjury complaint before the DOJ (Department of Justice)," De Lima said in an X post.

"Uulitin ko: Whether sa maleta, sa paper bag o anuman yan, wala akong tinatanggap na pera. Hindi na rin nakapagtataka na nagkakabuhol-buhol ang kwento at paratang sa akin dahil imbento lang ang mga pinagsasabi nila — kasinungalingan na inulit lang sa isang kwestyonableng hearing sa Senado," she added.

(I repeat: Whether in a suitcase, a paper bag, or anything else, I have not accepted any money. It is no surprise that the stories and accusations against me are tangled, because everything they say is invented—lies repeated in a questionable Senate hearing.)

Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, one of the spokespersons of the House prosecution panel, categorically denied the claim that he was among those who received "money luggages".

"Unang-una (First of all), I categorically deny all their accusations against me. Wala akong tinanggap na maleta, pera, o anumang bagay mula kaninuman, at wala rin akong pinulot kahit saan," Adiong said.

(I did not receive any suitcase, money, or anything from anyone, nor did I pick up anything anywhere.)

"Naniniwala ako na ang mga paratang na ito ay sadyang ginawa upang maging distraction mula sa aming mahalagang konstitusyonal na tungkulin — ang papalapit na impeachment trial laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte," he said.

(I believe these allegations were deliberately made to distract from our important constitutional duty—the upcoming impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.)

Adiong says the proceedings are clearly political theater and politicking.

"Ang listahan na binasa ay walang iba kundi isang desperadong pagtatangka na makalikha ng ingay, mapatahimik ang mga tunay na boses ng accountability, at ilihis ang Kongreso sa tamang landas. Ang listahan ay produkto ng pamumulitikang nababalot ng galit," he said.

(The list that was read is nothing more than a desperate attempt to create noise, silence the true voices of accountability, and divert Congress from the right path. The list is a product of politics wrapped in anger.)

Vice President Duterte's conviction via impeachment trial is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.