The House prosecution panel has fine-tuned its trial preparations by reassigning lead prosecutors for two of the four articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, a move aimed at further enhancing the team’s readiness ahead of the expected pretrial proceedings before the Senate impeachment court.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro announced that Manila Rep. Joel Chua will now head the prosecution team handling the article on the alleged misuse of PHP612.5 million confidential funds, while Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores will lead the article on alleged bribery.
The leadership assignments for the remaining two articles remain unchanged. Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor will continue to lead the article on alleged grave threats, while Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon remains in charge of the article on alleged unexplained wealth.
Luistro said further adjustments may still be made as the prosecution team finalizes its strategy and evidence presentation.
“Hangga’t hindi natatapos ang presentation of evidence (Until the presentation of evidence is finished), please anticipate that there will be changes on the assignment of prosecutors,” she said.
“After all, ito po ay (this is the) exclusive authority of the prosecution to decide on how we will present our evidence, who to present, what to present, and when to present them,” she added.
The lead prosecutor said the panel is now focused on preparing for the pretrial conference, which is expected to streamline the presentation of evidence and witnesses during the trial proper.
Under impeachment rules, both sides are expected to submit stipulations of facts, identify witnesses and mark documentary exhibits during the pre-trial stage.
Luistro noted that this process is particularly important because three of the four articles of impeachment involve extensive documentary evidence.
“To be specific, kapag sinabi nating pre-trial conference, nagsu-submit tayo ng (when we say pre-trial conference, e submit) stipulation of facts, and then we respond whether to admit or to deny the stipulation of the defense team,” she said.
“We also submit the list of the witnesses and we do the marking also of the exhibits which will be very, very helpful to us considering that three out of four articles have voluminous documents to consider,” she added.
Luistro identified these as the articles involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery and unexplained wealth.
While media reports have indicated that the pretrial conference could be held on June 15 and the trial proper could begin on July 6, Luistro said the prosecution panel has yet to receive any official notice from the Senate impeachment court.
“We have no official information as a matter of fact, whether papayagan ba o hindi itong pre-trial conference na ito (if the pretrial conference will be permitted or not),” she said. “And even the first schedule of the trial, wala pa rin po tayong (we still don’t have the) official notice from the impeachment court.”
Nevertheless, Luistro expressed confidence that the proceedings would move forward following the Senate’s formal convening as an impeachment court.
“But we look forward that since the Senate already convened the impeachment court, we are positive na magtutuloy-tuloy ito (that this will continue),” she said. “As far as the 11 prosecutors are concerned, kami po ay (we are) ready to appear before the impeachment court,” she said.
The prosecution panel is currently conducting workshops, reviewing documentary evidence and holding mock trials in preparation for the expected impeachment proceedings.
Impeachment Trial Schedule
Meanwhile, Luistro said any revision to the Senate impeachment court’s tentative timeline for Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s trial should move the proceedings forward rather than push them back.
“Let us remember that the mandate of the Constitution that is to be forthwith is not only with respect to the convening of the impeachment court. It says, ‘trial forthwith’,” she said.
“In other words, by trial, we mean presentation of evidence, presentation of witnesses. If ever there will be changes to July 6, it should be earlier and not later,” she added.
Her remarks come amid reported discussions in the Senate about resuming investigations into alleged flood-control corruption, which has raised questions about its possible effect on the impeachment calendar.
As one of the public prosecutors during the first impeachment effort against the vice president in the 19th Congress, Luistro clarified that her apprehensions stem from the possibility that the proceedings could again be derailed through procedural moves such as the remanding and eventual archiving of the articles of impeachment.
“Having that kind of experience in the impeachment process, because I was already part of the prosecution team during that time, of course I cannot remove those apprehensions concerning the current impeachment process,” she said.
But even if the new Senate Blue Ribbon Committee includes members facing corruption allegations, Luistro said the prosecution panel will continue to trust the senator-judges’ judgment.
She said the constitutional presumption of innocence prevails until guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
“So regardless of the controversies surrounding the members of the majority bloc, I still defer to their judgment in as far as the impeachment trial is concerned,” she said.
“We express our faith and confidence not only to the members of the majority, but all the senator-judges because we appreciate the fact that if prosecution is a constitutional duty, hearing this impeachment case is likewise a constitutional duty on the part of the senator-judges,” she added.
The lead prosecutor also expressed hope that the dates previously reported in the media – a June 15 pre-trial conference and a July 6 start of trial – would push through.
Still, Luistro maintained that any reconsideration of the tentative July 6 trial date should result in an earlier start, not a delay.
Duterte is expected to file her answer to the articles of impeachment before the Senate impeachment court on June 1, the deadline set under the 10-day period granted to her as respondent.
The prosecution panel said it is looking forward to a more substantive response and stands ready to file its reply within the five-day period provided under the impeachment rules. (PNA)