Claim: Senate impeachment court presiding officer Chiz Escudero ordered the suspension of House prosecutor and San Juan City Representative Ysabel Zamora‘s law license following her direct examination of a witness at Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video posted on October 3 by channel “NEWS UPDATE FILES,” credited to “PH Update,” carries the claim.
Text on its thumbnail reads, “Kinarma na! Tanggal ang linsensya!” (Karma has struck! License revoked!), with the text “Hinatulan ni Chiz! Malandi kasi!” (Sentenced by Chiz! Because she’s flirtatious!). It also shows an image of Escudero holding a document stamped “SUSPENDED” alongside a photo of Zamora.
The video’s title claims that Escudero issued a judgment on Zamora and revoked her license because of her alleged flirtatious demeanor.
As of writing, the video has drawn over 12,000 views and 528 likes.
The facts: There is no order from Escudero, the impeachment court, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), or the Supreme Court suspending Zamora’s law license. No credible news outlet has reported any such disciplinary action against her.
Zamora faced online backlash from several social media users after leading the direct examination of prosecution witness Police Major Joericson Sangalang about the firearms allegedly owned by Duterte and her husband, lawyer Maneses Carpio. Critics, including some of the Vice President’s supporters, called Zamora’s questioning style “flirtatious” and accused her of trying to act cute. (READ: Should Sara Duterte have listed all her guns in her SALNs?)
Despite this, Escudero did not issue any ruling punishing Zamora, contrary to the claim, and only called her questions “speculative.” The defense panel ultimately chose to forgo cross-examining the witness Zamora questioned.
Additionally, presiding officers in an impeachment trial do not have legal jurisdiction over administrative lawyer suspensions — disbarment and law license suspensions fall exclusively under the authority of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, with the IBP handling and investigating complaints against lawyers.
Misogynistic: While not naming names, Senator Raffy Tulfo appeared to criticize Zamora when he called out a member of the prosecution for acting cute while questioning a witness during the trial. The incident prompted advocacy groups and legal figures to cite the Safe Spaces Act and urged the Senate to maintain a professional environment free from gendered harassment.
Zamora addressed the criticism directly at a press briefing, calling the remarks misogynistic and telling detractors to “get a life,” adding, “They can’t handle sass, they can’t handle style.”
The San Juan lawmaker currently serves as one of the active prosecutors on the House prosecution panel tasked with presenting evidence in Duterte’s impeachment trial. The Vice President is facing accusations of plunder, misuse of public funds, and betrayal of public trust linked to her office’s confidential funds. (LIVE UPDATES: Impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte) – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com
Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.
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