MANILA, Philippines — An ethics complaint was filed Wednesday against Sen. Pia Cayetano over her social media post featuring a video of House prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno that complainants said was deliberately spliced to mislead the public during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Former Commission on Higher Education chairperson Patricia “Tatti” Licaunan, University of the Philippines Diliman professor Jean Franco, and representatives of several civic and student organizations filed the complaint with the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges at 3:11 p.m.
The complainants asked the committee to investigate Cayetano’s “deliberate dissemination of a spliced and misleading video” on her Facebook page and to reprimand the senator.
They alleged that the edited video removed portions of Diokno’s explanation during the impeachment proceedings and changed the context of his remarks.
“The deliberate editing of official impeachment proceedings to mislead the public is not merely a political act. It is a serious ethical issue that strikes at the integrity of the Senate as an impeachment court,” the complainants said.
The complaint also alleged that Cayetano’s post violated the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability, which bars lawyers from engaging in unlawful, dishonest, immoral or deceitful conduct.
The complainants said Cayetano’s decision to share the video amounted to a deliberate effort to make viewers believe that Diokno had admitted to an improper legal maneuver.
They also questioned Cayetano’s impartiality as a senator-judge in Duterte’s impeachment trial.
The complainants pointed to the constitutional oath taken by senator-judges to administer impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws of the Philippines.
They alleged that Cayetano’s social media activity demonstrated bias toward Duterte’s camp and compromised the neutrality expected of a member of the impeachment court.
The groups warned that Cayetano’s post could damage the Senate’s institutional credibility and undermine public confidence in the impeachment proceedings.
They urged the Senate to act on the complaint, saying that failing to address the matter could further erode public trust in the neutrality of senator-judges.
The complainants said members of the impeachment court should not selectively present official proceedings in a way that could mislead the public.
The complaint was filed as the Senate continued hearing the first article of impeachment against Duterte, which accuses her of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds.