MANILA — House prosecutors for Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial will continue preparations even if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said he is open to reconcile with the Duterte family, a member of the House prosecution panel said.

San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Zamora asserted it is their duty to do their best as House impeachment prosecutors and that they will "pursue it with the same eagerness, same vigor as before."

She said the team will do its best to prosecute the case.

"We are doing this para sa bayan, kaya kailangan po natin ipagpatuloy ito,” Zamora added.

(We are doing this for the country, so we need to keep going)

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The House impeached Duterte in February for, among other things, alleged irregularities in the use of confidential funds.

Zamora said that with the midterm elections over, “we're gonna go back to reviewing our cases and to do all of the preparations necessary for the impeachment.” 

Zamora believes the President is “open to having the impeachment proceedings go through”, after he said he is leaving the matter to the Senate.

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House impeachment prosecutors are set to meet on Thursday as they resume preparations for the trial tentatively scheduled to begin on July 30.

Former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, meanwhile, considers Marcos Jr.’s statement of willingness to reconcile with the Dutertes “a dangerous signal” on efforts to hold the Duterte accountable for alleged fund misuse.

Colmenares said making it seem accountability is negotiable would be a "betrayal of the people's demand for justice."

The Palace said Wednesday that Marcos Jr.'s remark does not mean he would bend or break the law for a political reconciliation.

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"If Marcos Jr. continues to turn a blind eye to the need for accountability, he risks emboldening the Dutertes further. This could very well be the signal they are waiting for to consolidate power and politically eliminate the Marcoses come 2028. That would not just be a political contest—it could turn into a bloodbath," Colmenares warned.  

 Zamora, meanwhile, disputed statements blaming the loss of several administration senatorial candidates on VP Duterte’s impeachment.

 “We saw there are Alyansa candidates who won, there were Liberal candidates who won, and in the Congressional race, majority of those who supported the impeachment won as well,” she said.