MANILA — ML Party-List nominee Leila De Lima, who is projected to have been elected to a House seat, said she accepted the offer to join the prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to contribute to the attainment of justice and accountability and not out of vindictiveness.

De Lima, a critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, was in detention for seven years but has been acquitted on drug cases she has maintained were fabricated because of politics. 

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“I'm not the kind of person who does things out of personal vendetta or vindictiveness. It's all about really contributing to the attainment of justice and accountability,” she said.

Akbayan Party-List nominee Chel Diokno, who accepted a similar offer on Wednesday asserted that the impeachment trial against Duterte is about accountability, not politics.

“Ang pinag-uusapan natin dito ay ‘yung nasa ating Konstitusyon, na kung sinuman ang naglilingkod bayan ay dapat may pananagutan, kung sakaling may gawing hindi tama o lumalabag sa batas,” he explained.

(What we are talking about is in the Constitution. That all public officials should be held accountable if they did wrong or broke the law)

The House impeached Duterte in February over, among other things, alleged irregularities in the use of confidential funds. She has also attributed the legal challenges she is facing to politics.

“Ang gusto namin mangyari ay talagang ilabas ang katotohanan at ito ang isang napakagandang pagkakataon na isalang sa publiko kung anong nga bang nangyari at kung ganito ba ang hinahanap natin na klase ng pamamahala… talagang i-front and center natin ang good governance,” Diokno added.

(What we want is to bring the truth out and this is a very good opportunity to have an official explain what happened and if this is the kind of governance we want... We have to put good governance front and center)

AKBAYAN TO BE 'REAL' BUT NOT 'OBSTRUCTIONIST' OPPOSITION

Despite their potential inclusion to the House prosecution panel, Diokno said he will still perform the role of “real opposition” at the House of Representatives, but not “obstructionist opposition”. 

“I think Akbayan would fall under the classification of a 'real opposition'… Kung ang ibig sabihin ng obstructionist ay basta oppose lang ng oppose, kahit walang laman, basta galing sa administrasyon ay kalalabanin nila, hindi kami ganoon,” he said.

(If obstructionist means opposing everything from the administration even when there is no substance — we're not like that)

De Lima also vowed on Wednesday to be an “independent opposition” and “fiscalizer” at the House of Representatives in the 20th Congress.

She said House Speaker Martin Romualdez's offer for her and Diokno to be part of the House prosecution team shows that the impeachment trial goes beyond partisanship.

“So ito na yung pinakamahalagang punto ng papanagot sa kanya, that is the trial. Trial based on evidence, trial based on due process, trial based on the rule of law. Wala dapat dyan tungkol sa partisan politics,” De Lima said.

(This is the most important point of holding her accountable, and that is the trial. A trial base don evidence, due process and rule of law. There should be no partisan politics there)

She said she is confident that the case against Duterte is strong, adding a strong case that is presented well will help the public understand the issues in the vice president's impeachment.

“And I'm sure the senators being politicians, the senators being lawmakers and public officials would be very sensitive and conscious of public opinion,” De Lima noted.

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Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, a member of the House prosecution panel, meanwhile, rejected statements that Duterte's impeachment led to the electoral defeat of some administration candidates for senator.

“Hindi ko naman po alam yung political situation sa Mindanao. Kaya lang nagtataka lang po ako na paano po nanalo ‘yung mga very active na nag-participate sa Quad Comm, sa Blue Ribbon Committee, at saka mga pumirma sa impeachment. Dahil sila talaga directly involved ditto,” Chua said.

(I don't know the political situation in Mindanao, but I wonder how true that is since those who were very active in the House hearings and who signed the impeachment complaint ended up being elected)