If the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte were a made-for-television drama, former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo and Senator Panfilo Lacson appear to have already started rehearsals — complete with insults.

Panelo on Sunday doubled down on his claim that some senators, including Lacson, may already be inclined to convict Duterte, insisting his remarks were based on public perception, not prejudgment.

“A public official cannot be onion-skinned. If he does not agree with my opinion, he can say so, but lacing his response with insults and a personal attack is a mark of idiocy,” Panelo said.

The comment came after Lacson, clearly irked, called Panelo ungas (dumb) for suggesting that he and several colleagues were patently biased against the Vice President.

Panelo did not retreat. Instead, he sharpened his tone, saying Lacson’s response relied more on personal attacks than substance.

He also defended his right to comment on the issue, saying citizens are entitled to express opinions on matters of national interest.

“A citizen is entitled to express his opinion on any matter of national interest and concern,” Panelo said.

Lacson, for his part, rejected the label of bias, maintaining that any decision in an impeachment trial would be based solely on evidence.

“Why is Panelo trying to sound smarter than us? No one can speak on my behalf… we will always be guided by the evidence,” Lacson said in an earlier interview.

He also took offense at being portrayed as prejudging the case, warning that such assumptions undermine the integrity expected of senator-judges.

The exchange quickly escalated, with Panelo suggesting that public officials who “cannot stand the heat” should step aside.