Katrina Ponce Enrile, daughter of the late former Senate President and chief presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, on Tuesday publicly called on Senator Alan Peter Cayetano to stop mischaracterizing her father’s legal case, warning that historical accuracy must not be sacrificed on the altar of political discourse.

In a strongly worded Facebook statement, the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority administrator and chief executive officer demanded a more faithful retelling of history whenever her father’s name is invoked in public debate.

“Words matter. Legal distinctions matter. Truth matters,” Enrile said.

Enrile expressed frustration over what she called repeated references to her father’s case that omit key legal facts.

Without directly attacking Cayetano, Enrile noted that the senator “seems to have a penchant” for citing her father’s case as an example in public remarks.

Legal theory as a charge

She argued, however, that descriptions portraying Juan Ponce Enrile as having been charged with rebellion are incomplete and misleading.

“My father was not charged with ‘rebellion.’ He was charged with ‘rebellion complexed with murder’ — a legal theory so fundamentally flawed that the Supreme Court ultimately rejected it as a non-existent crime under Philippine law,” she said.

The younger Enrile said that records of the case remain publicly accessible and can be easily verified.

“Because when someone’s memory is repeatedly invoked in public discourse, accuracy becomes sacred,” she said.

Enrile emphasized that her appeal was not political but personal, coming from a daughter seeking fairness for a man who could no longer defend himself.

“I’m not asking anyone to like my father or agree with his choices,” she said.

“But if his name is going to be your historical example, then honor history itself with accuracy.”

She ended her statement with a direct plea for restraint, saying, “Tama na (Enough).”