MANILA — Members of the House prosecution panel warned that disinformation surrounding the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte is expected to intensify as the case moves closer to trial.

House prosecutor Rep. Leila de Lima said the public should anticipate more misleading narratives as the proceedings transition from pretrial preparations to the presentation of evidence.

“I think as these proceedings progress, we can expect more of that, more of disinformation, more of fake news, more of factual distortion, spins of the real stories of the things that happened. So we just have to be very circumspect and careful,” De Lima told reporters after the latest pretrial conference.

The warning followed social media claims over the weekend alleging that the prosecution panel had been overwhelmed by the defense during ongoing pretrial proceedings.

House prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro rejected the claims, calling them false.

“That is not true. I charge it to fake news. We should be careful in deciphering what is correct and what is false. So we just have to be very circumspect and careful,” Luistro said.

House prosecution legal spokesperson and private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. also said claims that either side had gained an advantage during pretrial were unfounded, stressing that the proceedings involved procedural matters rather than rulings on the merits of the case.

“So, to say that you got the upper hand, it should mean that you’re able to get favorable rulings on your part. But that’s impossible because the clerk of the impeachment court cannot even make any rulings,” he said.

Tolosa added that the prosecution remains focused on moving the case forward, noting that it has already completed the marking of evidence for two articles of impeachment and is working on the remaining articles.

Despite what he described as attempts to derail the process, Luistro reiterated that the prosecution is committed to ensuring the trial begins on July 6, 2026, as scheduled by the Senate.

“Even if there will be attempts, the prosecution will remain firm in making sure that the trial will start on July 6, 2026, as previously scheduled by the Senate,” she said.