Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri described the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte as a “witch hunt.”

“I think that it is a witch hunt because they want to remove her from public service; para ‘yung iba makaupo [so that others may take her place]. At ‘yung iba ay mawawalan ng kandidato na kalaban pagdating sa halalan ng 2028,” Zubiri alleged.

But, Zubiri said the Senate impeachment court will have to do what is right.

“I’ll set my bias aside because we have to follow the process. There is a process under the Constitution. It cannot be changed. If we violate that, then we violate our oath of office when we say that we will defend and protect the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. We have to do what is right here,” he said.

Article 11 Section 4 of the Constitution states that, “In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.”

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers—more than the one-third required—endorsing the complaint. The Vice President was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes over alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds and for threatening to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., his wife Liza and his Speaker Martin Romualdez of Leyte.

The trial, after delays, is expected to start after the 20th Congress opens session on July 28.

Zubiri’s pronouncement draw the ire of two House prosecutors, Iloilo Representative Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo and ML party-list Representative Leila de Lima.

“It’s very unbecoming of a senator-judge in an impeachment trial to say that the impeachment complaint and the trial is a witch hunt.  Those words should not come from a Senator-judge who is expected to receive the evidence with impartiality and to treat the impeachment as a constitutional process,” Defensor told reporters.

De Lima, for her part, said Zubiri’s comment is unfair, given the gravity of the allegations against the Vice President.