Senator Robin Padilla dismissed fresh criticisms against him regarding his recent performance in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying that he's happy as long as the "trolls" are fed.

In a message to reporters on Thursday, Aug. 27, Padilla believed that the bashing is coming from "trolls" and not netizens.

"Bashing, netizens? You mean trolls!" he said.

"As long as they have food to put in their mouths, I'm happy for them," he added.

The senator was criticized anew as he turned to Philippine history—and a long list of revolutionary aliases—to show justification of the use of fictitious names in documents tied to the alleged disbursement of confidential funds of Duterte.

Padilla addressed the bulk of his questions to prosecution lawyer Mae Divinagracia, asking whether she knew that Filipinos had used aliases during periods of armed conflict.

The senator invoked National Heroes Day and proceeded to quiz Divinagracia about historical figures who supposedly used aliases, citing names including “Dimasalang,” “Siling Labuyo,” “Maypagasa,” “Magdalo,” “Vibora,” “Lakambini” and others.

When Divinagracia said she could not recall all of them, Padilla pressed on, arguing that aliases had historically been important in protecting people involved in underground movements.

Meanwhile, Padilla also expressed support for Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero's triple ruling on impartiality and decorum in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, delivering pointed reminders to prosecutors, the respondent’s defense counsel, and senator‑judges to uphold fairness, professionalism, and public confidence in the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.

He only wished that Escudero revealed the names of those who frequently violate the sub judice rule.