The National Unity Party (NUP) is unlikely to support again the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte without what it calls compelling new evidence.
Still, NUP chair and House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said on Thursday that the bloc remains open to voting for impeachment if strong proof emerges during House hearings.
Puno said the party’s position expressed late Wednesday is not a prejudgment of the case but a commitment to assess whatever evidence is presented before the House committee on justice.
“We want to view this as a new thing and see whether there is new evidence, whether there is anything that constitutes what we might call a smoking gun,” Puno said.
He added that the party would not rely on issues raised in previous proceedings.
“Of course, we are open to whatever will happen in the justice committee hearings. We will listen, we will look at the evidence presented, and if the evidence laid down is really believable and if they can prove that there was wrongdoing, we will vote accordingly,” Puno said in Filipino.
“But we are not going into this thing with preconceptions. We will study it,” he added.
The NUP said it has not seen any new material evidence in the four impeachment complaints recently filed against Duterte that would warrant a shift from matters already examined in prior inquiries and public hearings.
The NUP also cautioned against using impeachment as a political tool.
“It is not a political instrument nor a forum for revisiting matters already exhaustively examined,” the party said. “Rather, it is a solemn constitutional mechanism for enforcing accountability at the highest levels of public office, and should be evaluated carefully in light of the evidence presented.”
However, the party said it would not pre-empt the proceedings and remains open to assessing any new evidence that may be presented during the deliberations.
It also urged Congress to prioritize urgent national concerns, noting that impeachment proceedings consume substantial time and institutional resources from both chambers.