House prosecutor and San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria “Bel” Zamora on Tuesday brushed aside personal and allegedly misogynistic remarks directed at her online following her questioning of a witness during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Zamora faced criticism from some netizens over her manner of questioning and speaking during Monday’s testimony of Police Maj. Joericson Sangalang, chief of the Records Division of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office.
“It’s so unfortunate that a lot of Filipinos still think that way. They still make misogynistic remarks especially directed towards women, girls, apparently are smart and can speak well and can be a lawyer in an impeachment court," Zamora said.
She said she remains unfazed by the criticism and is focused on performing her duties as a member of the House prosecution team.
“Siguro, they can’t handle sass, they can’t handle style. And well, really, I don’t care if they bash me. I’m here to do my job,” Zamora said.
“Seriously, they should get a life,” she added.
Zamora also defended her presentation of Sangalang, saying she believed she properly performed her role as a lawyer during the proceedings.
The police official testified that Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, have a combined 51 registered firearms with an estimated value of about P7.22 million. The prosecution said the testimony was intended to establish whether the firearms were properly declared in the Vice President’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
Zamora said the online attacks should not overshadow the issues being discussed in the impeachment trial.
“There’s a pattern of non-declaration or misdeclaration in the SALN of assets. Tandaan ho natin, firearms are assets, and assets should be declared in the SALN,” she said.
She also called for a higher level of public discourse, saying more Filipinos should understand the evidence and issues being presented before the impeachment court.
House prosecution adviser Robert Ace Barbers likewise defended Zamora, saying criticisms should focus on the substance of the proceedings rather than personal attacks.
