House impeachment adviser and prosecution panel spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers took issue on Saturday, July 25 with the Cayetano senator-siblings' alleged spliced video about Vice President Sara Duterte's Senate impeachment trial.

“We would also like to ask Senator-judge Pia Cayetano and Senator-judge Alan Cayetano to simply tell the Filipino people, especially those that have seen this spliced video, kung ano yung katotohanan (to tell them the truth)," Barbers said.

“Dahil nandoon po naman sila nung araw na 'yun, noong habang nagkakaroon ng oral arguments. Alam po nila at dinig na dinig nila kung ano 'yung katotohanan na taliwas o hindi kapareha ng video na kumakalat sa ngayon,” he noted.

(Because they were present that day, during the oral arguments. They knew and clearly heard the truth, which is different from what the circulating video shows.)

Barbers made these statements in response to the Facebook reels posted by Senator Pia Cayetano, which feature edited portions of the impeachment proceedings. This included exchanges involving Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and House prosecutor Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno.

“We respect every member of the Senate 8mpeachment court, including Senator Judge Pia Cayetano, and we recognize that everyone is entitled to express their own views, lalo na na dito sa mainit na usapin ng impeachment," Barbers said.

“However, we also hope that discussions regarding the impeachment proceedings are presented in a manner that gives the Filipino people the complete and accurate context.”

Last week, Diokno, a rookie congressman but an experienced litigator, took on the task of speaking in the oral arguments for the grant of the prosecution panel's subpoena request for respondent Duterte's bank and tax records, as well as Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reports.

Presiding officer Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero ended up granting the prosecution’s request, despite the repeated insistence of the defense lawyers that the pursuit of the financial records was a "fishing expedition".

Barbers appealed to the Cayetanos to clarify what really transpired during the oral arguments.

"I do hope in the spirit of fairness that the senator-judge showing their impartiality, sana mabago at ma-correct po itong videong ito," said the former overall chairman of the House quad-committee (quad-comm).

(I do hope, in the spirit of fairness and with senator-judges showing their impartiality, that this video can be corrected.)

As for the Filipino public that consume such videos regularly, Barbers reiterated his advice.

“Ang impeachment trial ay hindi dapat husgahan batay sa ilang segundo ng video o sa mga putol-putol na bahagi nito. Mas mahalaga na makita ng buong publiko kung ano ang kabuuan ng proceedings upang sila mismo makabuo ng kanilang opinion at patas at tamang pang-unawa dito sa mga videos na ito," he said.

(The impeachment trial should not be judged based on a few seconds of video or fragmented clips. It is more important for the public to see the entirety of the proceedings so they can form their own opinion and gain fair and proper understanding of these videos.)

He said all public officials share the responsibility of protecting public confidence in democratic institutions.

“As public officials, we all share the responsibility of strengthening, not weakening public confidence in our institutions. The best way to achieve that is to encourage the public to watch the proceedings in their entirety rather than rely solely on excerpts," Barbers said.

“Kaya nga pinapanawagan namin sa ating mga kababayan na subaybayan po itong impeachment trial na ito dahil dito po natin maiiwasan ang pagkalat ng fake news," he added.

(That is why we are calling on our fellow citizens to closely follow this impeachment trial, because this is how we can prevent the spread of fake news.)

The ex-Surigao del Norte congressman and governor emphasized that the impeachment proceedings transcend any individual participant.

“This proceedings is bigger than any individual. It is about preserving the integrity of the impeachment process and ensuring that the Filipino people receive a fair, complete and truthful picture of what transpired in the court," Barbers said.

“So kailangan tayo ang magbuo ng ating opinion. Huwag lamang po natin tingnan kung ano 'yung nakikita natin sa social media at mahalaga na sa ating pagsubaybay dito maiiwasan natin 'yung pagkalat ng maraming, maraming fake news kagaya ng nangyayaring ito na kung saan ay nakikita natin na spliced o hindi kaya ay minanipula yung video na ipinakita," he further said.

(So we must form our own opinion. We should not rely only on what we see on social media, and by monitoring the trial we can avoid the spread of much fake news, such as these spliced or manipulated videos being circulated.)