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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Barbers advises Pinoys: Don't rely on social media commentary, watch VP Duterte trial yourselves

Barbers advises Pinoys: Don't rely on social media commentary, watch VP Duterte trial yourselves

Published Jul 1, 2026 06:25 pm

At A Glance

  • Barbers urged Filipinos to watch the impeachment trial live and to avoid potentially misleading social media commentary.
  • The panel planned translations in regional dialects to make proceedings clearer and prevent misinformation.
  • Barbers stresses that impeachment is a constitutional accountability process that requires unified messaging for public understanding.
Robert Ace Barbers (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Robert Ace Barbers (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


House prosecution panel spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers hald told Filipinos to watch the Senate impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte themselves, instead of relying on social media commentary for information.
This--along with the prosecution panel's plan of facilitating regional translations on the courtroom proceedngs--are essential to prevent Filipinos from being feed the wrong information, he said.
“Live ang proceedings kaya hinihikayat namin ang publiko na panoorin ito mismo. Habang tumatakbo ang paglilitis, asahan nating dadami ang fake news at iba’t ibang interpretasyon," Barbers, also the House’s impeachment adviser, said on Wednesday, July 1.
(The proceedings are live, so we encourage the public to watch them directly. As the trial unfolds, we can expect more fake news and varied interpretations.)
"Mas mabuti pa ring makita at marinig mismo ng taumbayan ang ebidensya at proseso kaysa umasa sa mga haka-haka o maling impormasyon,” noted the former three-term Surigao del Norte congressman as he referred to the glut of political commentators on social media.
(It is better for the people to see and hear the evidence and process themselves rather than rely on speculation or false information.)
Translations to Bisaya, Hiligaynon, Bicolano and other dialects are being eyed in a bid to soften the blow of the legal jargon during the trial.
“Napakalawak ng usapin ng impeachment. Hindi ito usaping legal lang. May procedural, may legal, at may public information aspect. Kaya hindi ito kayang ipaliwanag ng iisang tao lamang. Kailangan ng team na may iisang mensahe at iisang naratibo,” Barbers said.
(The issue of impeachment is vast. It is not just a legal matter. It has procedural, legal, and public information aspects. That is why it cannot be explained by a single person alone. A team is needed with one message and one narrative.)
He explained that while the panel has lawyer-spokespersons handling legal and procedural matters, his role is to strengthen public communication and ensure that accurate and timely information reaches ordinary Filipinos.
“Plano naming ipaliwanag ang proseso sa iba’t ibang wika para mas maraming Pilipino ang makaintindi at hindi mabiktima ng maling impormasyon,” noted the former overall chairman of the House quad-committee (quad-comm).
(We plan to explain the process in different languages so more Filipinos can understand and not fall victim to misinformation.)
Barbers stressed that the impeachment process was an accountability mechanism provided under the Constitution that can be applied even to the most powerful in our government.
He says the public deserves to understand how it works before forming conclusions.

Related Tags

Robert Ace Barbers fake news IMPEACHMENT Sara Duterte Translation social media
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