Former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama is set to confront the controversy surrounding the impeachment vote against Vice President Sara Duterte, announcing plans for a joint press conference with his nephew, Edu Rama, after the latter was recorded as voting in favor of the complaint in the House of Representatives.

Rama, a known Duterte ally and one of the opposition bloc’s strongest voices in the Visayas, said Tuesday that he wanted Edu to publicly explain his position following Monday’s plenary proceedings on the impeachment articles.

“We will have a press conference, and hopefully Edu Rama will be with us,” Mike Rama told reporters, hinting at a possible clarification or response from the congressman amid backlash from Duterte supporters in Cebu.

The issue erupted after several Cebu lawmakers, including Edu Rama, remained silent during the nominal voting but were later reflected in House records as affirmative votes supporting the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte.

The impeachment bid ultimately secured 257 votes in the House — well beyond the constitutional threshold needed to elevate the case to the Senate for trial. Only 25 lawmakers opposed the complaint, while nine abstained.

The outcome intensified political tensions in Cebu, where several local leaders have openly aligned themselves with the Duterte camp ahead of the anticipated Senate trial and the 2028 political landscape.

Mike Rama, who serves as Visayas vice president of PDP-Laban and leads Partido Barug, has recently amplified his pro-Duterte stance through rallies and public gatherings. Just days before the House vote, he hosted a “Council of Elders and Leaders” assembly attended by supporters from Cebu, Davao, and Manila, where participants signed a resolution denouncing what they described as the “politicization” of the impeachment process.

During the gathering, Rama urged Duterte supporters to become more politically active, warning against remaining silent amid the escalating national dispute.

He also floated the possibility of a future Duterte presidency, telling supporters: “And perhaps tomorrow, we will already have a new President: Sara Duterte.”

Former presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, who attended the event, likewise criticized the impeachment proceedings and described them as politically motivated.

The House vote has also triggered accusations and denials among Cebu officials. Allies of the Duterte camp accused Pamela Baricuatro of allegedly lobbying lawmakers to support the impeachment complaint — claims the governor firmly denied.

Baricuatro maintained that her focus remains on governance and provincial development, not congressional processes, while her daughter, Capitol consultant Dr. Nikki Catalan, also publicly rejected allegations that the governor pressured Cebu lawmakers into backing the complaint.