Manila, July 7 -- House prosecution panel adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers on Tuesday said Vice President Sara Duterte's 32.2 million votes in the 2022 elections do not give her a license to misuse government funds, amass unexplained wealth, commit bribery, or issue threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as alleged in the Articles of Impeachment now pending before the Senate impeachment court.

Barbers, a former Surigao del Norte representative, made the statement in response to one of the central arguments raised by Duterte's lead defense counsel, Sheila Sison, who argued that removing the vice president from office through impeachment would effectively render the votes of her 32.2 million supporters "useless" and di...