Frustration flared inside the Senate Impeachment Court on Monday when senator-judge Erwin Tulfo challenged the credibility of a witness who claimed difficulty communicating in Filipino, pointing to her earlier testimony before Congress as proof she understood the language.
The exchange unfolded as private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan questioned Gina Acosta, who once served as Duterte’s special disbursing officer and remains on her staff. Acosta was called as the prosecution’s first hostile witness, part of the effort to establish that the Vice President improperly spent confidential funds.
Seeking recognition from the court, Tulfo produced records from an earlier congressional proceeding to contradict the witness’s apparent struggle. “Mr. President, I have here the transcript of the hearing in Congress. I don’t understand why she seems to be having such difficulty speaking Filipino here when, in fact, she answered in Filipino during the hearing in Congress last November,” he said.
He read portions of Acosta’s prior answers, which had shifted between Filipino and English depending on how questions were posed to her at the House of Representatives. Zeroing in on one term, he questioned how a government official could plead ignorance. “Pati yung discretionary (Even the word discretionary). She’s a government official, she doesn’t know what discretionary is?” he asked.
The senator-judge pressed the court to require the witness to respond in Filipino, framing the matter as one of honesty rather than comprehension. “Mr. President, enough of this deception. Please, Mr. President, compel this witness to speak in Filipino. Even Visayans understand Filipino and can speak Filipino. What are we, foreigners? Are we Japanese or Chinese?” he asked.
Citing the pages of transcript in front of him, Tulfo argued the record left no doubt about her ability. “I know, Ms. Witness, you can understand Filipino and you can speak Filipino because it’s right here. There are several pages of it. Your answers were in Filipino. When you were asked in English, you answered in English. Why does it seem like you’re having such a hard time now? At this rate, Mr. President, we’ll be here for a year,” he added.
Presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero acknowledged the concern and instructed Ligutan to settle on a single language, whether Filipino or English, throughout his questioning. He indicated Filipino would serve the witness better in following the proceedings. “You don’t have to translate each item unless the witness requests you to do so,” Escudero said.
