A group of Davao City lawmakers on Tuesday said they would not take part in the impeachment proceedings against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., citing what they described as a process already tainted by political influence.
In a joint statement, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, 2nd District Rep. Omar Duterte, 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, and PPP Party-list Rep. Harold Duterte said they had decided not to participate in, or vote on, the impeachment.
“We, the undersigned, have chosen not to participate in, nor to cast a vote on, the impeachment of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. We do so not out of indifference, but out of conviction. We cannot in good conscience lend our names, our voices, and our mandate to a process that no longer reflects a genuine and honest pursuit of truth and accountability. To take part under these circumstances would be to betray the very principles that brought us to public service,” the statement read.
The lawmakers said the proceedings, from committee deliberations to the plenary, had been overshadowed by what they called overwhelming administration influence.
They added that the outcome appeared predetermined, shaped “less by conscience and independent judgment and more by political convenience,” arguing that such conditions undermine justice and suppress truth.
The group further cited alleged flood control anomalies and other serious abuses under the current administration, including what they described as the illegal arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, saying these issues require more than procedural compliance.
“What we see instead is a performance masquerading as due process—a spectacle that numbs the nation’s sense of true accountability. To take part in such proceedings would only cloak them in a false legitimacy that it does not deserve,” they said.
The lawmakers said their refusal to participate was a matter of principle rather than retreat.
“From the very beginning, we therefore resolved to stand apart. Our decision to withhold our participation and our vote is an act of principle, not an act of retreat. We refuse to be used as props in a production that pretends to seek justice while ensuring that those who must answer are never truly held to account. We remain committed to real accountability, to institutions that function with integrity, and to a justice system where truth is neither silenced nor staged, but genuinely heard,” the statement added.