Evidence — not procedure — should be the focus of Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense, House prosecutors said Tuesday, as they questioned why her legal team has yet to produce a rebuttal to the Articles of Impeachment filed against her.
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co, spokesperson for the House prosecution panel, told reporters that the defense’s reliance on technical arguments has been consistent across multiple venues.
“Nakita natin na kulang doon sa pre-trial submissions or even yung petition at the Supreme Court level from VP Sara, continuously it is about technicalities and not the evidence,” she said.
“And what matters right now is the evidence. And we’d like continuously na matanong, asan ba yung counter-evidence, asan po yung counter-narrative ni VP Sara doon sa Articles of Impeachment?” Co said.
Two absences from Monday’s defense presentation before the Senate Impeachment Court drew the panel’s attention, according to Co. The first was the lack of an unqualified statement of innocence.
“Two things ang na-note natin sa opening statement ng defense. One, wala pong full-stop claim that VP Sara is innocent,” Co said.
Such a declaration, she noted, is standard in defense openings — more so when the accusations carry the weight of those confronting the Vice President.
The second omission concerned the charge that was set to be taken up on Tuesday’s session.
“Yan ang hinahanap natin sa kahit anong opening statement ng ating defense. Ikalawa, hindi rin in-address ang Article of Impeachment on the death threats na yun ang isasalang today,” Co added.
Co characterized the silence on that count as conspicuous, given the schedule, and suggested Duterte’s lawyers may need to regroup.
“So sa atin na unang sasalang ‘yung napakabigat na press conference na ‘yon, glaring na pagkukulang yung naging opening statement ng defense. And baka nga wise for VP Sara to confer with the defense team today on that matter,” she said.
Duterte is answering four Articles of Impeachment. They cover the alleged misuse of confidential funds, wealth she has not accounted for, bribery and corruption, and grave threats directed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Proceedings before the Senate began July 6.
The prosecution, Co said, has spent months preparing and will not need the same regrouping.
“We’d just like to say that judging by the performance of the defense team yesterday, I too would like to confer with my team. So, we’ll see kung anong maging results ng consultation today but the House has been long ready para depensahan at i-argue yung mga Articles of Impeachment,” she said.
