House prosecution panel preps with mock trial

Members of the House Prosecution Panel on Thursday attended a mock trial at the People's Center of the House of Representatives as part of preparations for the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua, one of the House impeachment prosecutors, said in an ambush interview that all eleven members of the panel were present.

Several private prosecutors were also invited to attend.

"May mga inimbita kami na pupuwedeng mag-assist sa amin. But mainly, nandiyan si Cong Chel [Diokno] at mga kasama niya para ma-guide kami," Chua said.

(We have invited some people who might assist us. But mainly, it's Representative Chel Diokno [of Akbayan] and his colleagues to guide us.)

He also said there was an assigned topic for the mock trial but "siguro as of now, hindi ko muna sasabihin [I probably won't divulge which one it is at the moment]."

Another panel member, Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-ao, said the prosecutors wanted to get a feel of what could actually happen during the Senate impeachment trial.

"Parang ina-approximate namin ano ba talaga ang, paano ba magtatalakay, ano ba ang trial, different from a regular courtroom but more appropriate to an impeachment process. Parang mas ganoon yung tinatalakay, pinaghahandaan namin. Pero pinag-aaralan din namin ang mga rules on evidence, pinag-aaralan namin ang how do you talk to the court," Bag-ao said in a separate interview today.

(We are trying to approximate how the trial would be, different from a regular courtroom but more appropriate to an impeachment process. We are also studying the rules on evidence and how you talk to the court.)

"Kaya din, tingin ko ay binabalikan namin din yung mga karanasan namin sa paghahawak ng mga kaso sa korte at yung pagpa-practice namin," she added.

(As I see it we are also reliving our experiences handling cases in court and practicing law.)

Bag-ao was elected an impeachment prosecutor for then-Chief Justice Renato Corona's trial and she reminds her colleagues that, "Tingin ko pinakamahalaga talaga ay paano magpaunawa yung, paano mo ipapaliwanag sa isang ordinaryong tao na hindi alam ko ano ang ibig sabihin ng salitang impeachment, hindi alam ko ano ang kaibahan ng prosecutor sa charge, hindi alam kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng judgment, hindi alam ko ano ang ibig sabihin ng sapina, hindi alam kung paano magbasa ng dokumento."

(I think what's most important is to be able to explain to ordinary people who do not know what the word 'impeachment' means, who don't know the difference between a prosecutor and a charge, judgment, subpoena, how to read documents.)

The two impeachment prosecutors opposed the Senate majority bloc's push to allow senators to join proceedings through teleconferencing.

Chua and Bag-ao said this mode should not be applied to the impeachment trial.

"Yung timing, masasabi nga natin na medyo the timing is suspect but then again sinasabi ko rin na ito ay internal ng mga member sa Senado so hayaan natin na sila magdesisyon at mag-resolva ng kanilang mga internal, lalong-lalo na sa pagpapatupad ng kanilang rules," Chua said.

(The timing is suspect, but then again this is an internal matter for the Senate so let's leave them to resolve internal matters, especially the laying out of their rules.)

One of the members of the Senate's majority bloc, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, is currently at large amid an International Criminal Court warrant against him.

"Kung ito'y gagamitin sa impeachment trial, mas maganda na personal ang senator-judge na um-attend sa pagdinig dahil isa sa mga dapat na ginagawa ng senator-judge ay obserbahan ang mga testigo sa kanilang mga demeanor kung paano sila sasagot. Dahil dito makikita kung sila ay, ang testigo, ay nagsisinungaling o hindi. kaya malaking bagay ang kanilang presensya. kung sila ay wala doon, paano nila maoobserbahan ang ganitong klaseng mga demeanor," Chua added.

"Yes, I agree. Sa iba namang mga rules kasi din ay ina-allow na din ang ganitong forms. Pero ibig sabihin, ang assumption ay hindi ito yung sobrang sensitibong kaso na kailangan nakikita mo yung testigo, kailangan na-evaluate mo, may pagkakataon din ang judges na magtanong para sa kanilang sariling pag-unawa. Tingin ko magkakaroon ng ganoong distinction," Bag-ao stated.

"In the end, ang pinakatanong sa atin ay, ano man yung naging porma: teleconference ba yan? Face-to-face? Yan ba ay paghahanap, paano mo hahanapin talaga ang katotohanan at paano talaga ito maunawaan ng lahat?" she added.

House prosecution panel spokesperson Kabataan Representative Renee Co agrees.

"You need to be physically present to appreciate the evidence. you need to be physically present to appreciate, hindi lang yung direct answers to questions pero even yung non verbal language, yung kanyang gestures na sa puno't dulo, bubuo ng mas complete picture sa senator-judges, tutulong sa kanilang discretion," Co said in an online press conference today. — BM, GMA News