Prosecution intends to present Sara Duterte in her own impeachment trial

The House prosecution panel on Tuesday said they intend to present Vice President Sara Duterte herself in her own impeachment trial.

Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan informed the Senate impeachment court of such position during Day 23 of the impeachment trial of the Vice President as the prosecution rested the presentation of evidence on Article 1 of the Articles of Impeachment which alleges that the Vice President must be impeached over misuse, if not misappropriation of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds.

"In lieu of presenting 15 other witnesses, we will be presenting the Vice President herself as regards use, misuse, misappropriation of confidential funds, which is Article I of the Articles of Impeachment," Kapunan said.

Kapunan, however, said that they are not asking Senate impeachment court for a subpoena for the Vice President "at this time."

Lead defense counsel Sheila Sison, in response, said issuing a subpoena or “testimonial compulsion” to the Vice President before her impeachment trial violates her Constitutional right as provided under Article 3, Section 17 which states that “No person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself No person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.”

“This right is absolute and this is not only a simple right or a statutory right. This is a fundamental right. This is a right emanating from the Constitution itself and one that emanates from the guarantees under Article 3 of our 1987 Constitution,” she added.

Sison also said that Duterte is present in the trial through her counsel.

“If respondent is not interested in this trial, she would not have even sent her lawyers to defend her in this case,” she said.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Senator Francis Escudero did not yet rule on the move by the prosecution pending the latter’s formal motion asking the impeachment court to issue a subpoena to the Vice President and the comment from the defense panel.

—VAL, GMA News