Ridon, Tolosa ask why impeachment court did not act on Sara Duterte's remark

Two members of the House prosecution team questioned why Vice President Sara Duterte was not asked by the impeachment court to explain her remarks that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. controls the senators, judges, and the police.

"I think very clear that there is a violation of the sub judice rule when the vice president said that the president controls the senators because it goes against the integrity of the Senate itself," Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said in an interview on Unang Balita.

In a separate "24 Oras" report, private counsel to the impeachment trial, Benjamin Tolosa, echoed Ridon that the statement was an "attack against the integrity of the court."

"We are hoping that this case will be looked into thoroughly so there will be an equal application of rules," Tolosa added.

Ridon and Tolosa were earlier asked by the impeachment court to explain alleged violations of the sub judice rule following their statements related to the ongoing impeachment trial.

On Friday, they submitted their response to the court. They maintained that their statements did not address the merits of the case, but instead covered only procedure and a summary of what had already been discussed in the proceedings.

"With due respect, none of the challenged statements falls within the prohibition under Rule 18. Some concerned only procedural matters and did not evaluate the merits of the case. The others merely recounted matters already placed on the public record during the proceedings, fairly and accurately, in good faith, and without editorial comment," Tolosa said.

"Accordingly, there is no basis for citing the undersigned counsel for violation of Rule 18. When each challenged statement of the undersigned counsel is considered in its complete context, none evaluates a disputed fact, the credibility of a witness, the relevance, weight, or sufficiency of evidence, the legal viability of an Article of Impeachment or substantive defense, or the proper disposition of any charge," Tolosa added.

Further, Tolosa said his statements did not state that the prosecution's evidence was already sufficient to warrant the Vice President's conviction.

In his reply, Ridon said his "public statements have been made in the course of performing his responsibilities as a member of the House Prosecution Panel, and pursuant to the prosecution's commitment to keep the public informed of the status and progress of the impeachment proceedings."

He added he "never intended to prejudge the case, influence the Senator-Judges, substitute public discussion for the evidence and arguments properly presented before the Honorable Court, or diminish the authority of the Honorable Court to determine the merits of the impeachment case." —LDF, GMA News