As the Senate wrangled on duty and procedure in previous days over the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte without starting the trial, Filipinos were not just watching the heated exchanges—they were tracking what appear to be evolving political personas among the senators themselves.
Two figures in particular have drawn various reactions: Sen. Raffy Tulfo and Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel.
Tulfo, known for his confrontational persona on his eponymous public service show, was conspicuously quiet during the session and joined 17 other senators in voting to remand the impeachment complaint back to the House.
Online, some longtime supporters were quick to point it out.
“Bat ka nagkaganyan idol di ka naman dating ganyan [crying emojies],” one user on X (formerly Twitter) lamented.
Another added, “You watch his TV program, the accused can barely speak their piece to defend themselves because of his loud mouth. He even has the audacity to insult military personnel but meek as lamb about impeachment.”
The commenters further noted Tulfo’s silence amid accusations of the Senate shirking its constitutional duties.
From pro-Duterte to firebrand
Meanwhile, Pimentel—sometimes perceived as mild-mannered and procedural—has emerged as one of the loudest voices asserting that the Senate is constitutionally bound to “forthwith proceed” with the impeachment trial.
As captured on streamed video and news reports, he argued strongly against the “return to sender” vote, while stressing on institutional integrity.
The change hasn’t gone unnoticed. One Reddit user praised Pimentel, whom they said they were not fond of before. “Kudos to this man,” they said.
“May character development, minulto ng tatay,” another noted, suggesting Pimentel’s role through political party PDP-Laban in bringing up and backing the early part of the tenure of Duterte’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The elder Duterte went to splinter PDP-Laban, a group Pimentel’s late father led, into factions, divided over positions on the West Philippine Sea and his bloody war on drugs, for which he is now detained for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The recent unfolding impeachment drama at the Senate has exposed new fractures, personas and allegiances within the chamber—called “character developments” by some netizens.
If there is a plot twist, Tulfo chose to be the quiet one this time, while Pimentel was the loud defender.
Pimentel, who recently lost his bid in local politics in Marikina, is ending his term and will not return a senator in the upcoming 20th Congress.
