IBINASURA ni Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers, lead chairman ng House quad committee, ang pahayag na ang inihaing impeachment case laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte ang dahilan kung bakit konting kandidato lamang sa pagkasenador ng Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas ang nanalo.

Ayon kay Barbers, malinaw na maraming mga kongresista na sumuporta sa impeachment ang nanalo sa katatapos na midterm elections sa kabila ng pangangampanya ni Duterte laban sa mga ito.

“The results speak for themselves,” giit ni Barbers, chairman ng House committee on dangerous drugs, na isa sa mga sumuporta sa impeachment case na inihain ng Kamara sa Senado.

“Thirty-six out of 44 Mindanao lawmakers who signed the impeachment complaint were reelected. That’s a clear 81.81% win rate. If the impeachment was such a political liability, we would’ve been wiped out in our own districts. But we were not—we were overwhelmingly returned to office,” dagdag pa ng mambabatas.

Sinabi ni Barbers na sinuportahan ng mga botante sa Mindanao ang mga nagpakita ng tapang para sa katotohanan at hindi pinaboran ang mga kandidatong naduwag at nagpatakot.

“Let’s be honest—voters are smarter than we give them credit for. They did not vote based on who defended or attacked a Duterte. They voted for local leaders who delivered, who stood their ground, and who worked with integrity,” dagdag niya.

Sinabi ni Barbers na ilan sa taga-Mindanao na sumuporta sa impeachment at nanalo sa halalan ay sina Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong at Rep. Yasser Balindong ng Lanao del Sur, Rep. Romeo Momo ng Surigao del Sur, Rep. Dimszar Sali ng Tawi-Tawi, Rep. Roberto “Pinpin” Uy Jr. ng Zamboanga del Norte, Rep. Samantha Santos ng Cotabato, at sina Rep. Keith Flores at Jose Manuel Alba ng Bukidnon.

Sinabi ni Barbers na ang “blame game” na isinusulong ngayon ng ilang sektor upang isisi sa impeachment ang pagkatalo ng mga senatorial candidate ng Alyansa ay unfair at inaccurate.

“Senate campaigns are won with message, machinery, and momentum—not by shielding sacred cows from scrutiny. If some candidates underperformed, it was because we didn’t connect enough at the national level, not because we fought for truth and transparency,” ani Barbers.

Binigyang-diin niya na ipinakita ng resulta sa Mindanao na nakilala ng mga botante ang kaibahan ng lokal at pambansang halalan, at hindi nila itinuring na kataksilan sa pamahalaan ang impeachment.

“The fact that my wife Bernadette and so many of my colleagues were reelected proves that Mindanaoans know the difference between political vendetta and constitutional accountability,” ayon kay Barbers.

“They backed us because we had the spine to uphold the rule of law, even if it meant taking on powerful names. That is not political suicide—that is leadership,” dagdag pa ni Barbers.