MANILA, Philippines – Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong and Kabataan Representative Renee Co have been named House trial spokespersons for the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate.

“The two of them will be speaking for the House of Representatives panel of prosecutors,” lead prosecutor Jinky Luistro said in a press conference on Tuesday, May 19.

Adiong is a two-term lawmaker from Mindanao, and before his congressional stint was a member of the Bangsamoro parliament.

He has been one of the reliable talking heads of the House since the 19th Congress — as member of the “Young Guns” bloc, and recently as the suffrage panel chairperson that has been defending the chamber’s anti-political dynasty bill on the plenary floor.

“We remain steadfast in our resolve to present the evidence with clarity, fairness, and transparency. We are guided solely by the pursuit of justice and the public interest, ensuring that this historic process strengthens our democratic institutions,” Adiong said in a statement.

“Together with my colleagues in the prosecution panel, I am fully prepared to discharge this responsibility to the best of my ability and look forward to contributing meaningfully to a trial that is fair, thorough, and worthy of the trust of the nation,” he added.

Co, meanwhile, is a neophyte lawmaker, and is one of the youngest members of the 20th Congress. A member of the House minority, she is one of the three lawmakers that make up the House’s left-wing bloc Makabayan, which filed the quickly dismissed impeachment case against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“What I will be doing is really no different… which is explaining the process of accountability, the contents of the articles of impeachment, and why what we are doing is important to all citizens, especially the youth,” Co said in an interview with DZMM radio on Tuesday morning.

Duterte is accused of misusing public funds, bribing government officials, amassing unexplained wealth, and threatening the life of the President, the First Lady, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

Her upcoming trial at the Senate gives the Vice President one last platform to defend herself from the allegations, before senator-judges decide whether she should be convicted and be barred from holding public office. – Rappler.com