House prosecutors to clarify no media policy at June 18 pre-trial for Sara Duterte impeachment

The House prosecution panel will clarify with the Senate impeachment court regarding its notice that media and the public are not allowed at the June 18 pre-trial conference for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Batangas 2nd Rep. Gerville Luistro, the House lead prosecutor for the impeachment trial, said they will seek clarification from the Senate impeachment court but will defer to its wisdom.

“Tayo po ay party dito sa (We are a party in the) impeachment court. But as to which party has control really or judgment in as far as how this trial will be undertaken, it is the impeachment court. And we submit to their jurisdiction,” Luistro said in an online interview on Wednesday.

“Liwanagin lang natin, not by way of letter, but by asking the House counterpart to reach out to the Senate counterpart kung talaga bang pati media will not be allowed during the pre-trial confidence,” he added.

(We will clarify, not by way of letter, but by asking the House counterpart to reach out to the Senate counterpart if the media will not be allowed during the pre-trial confidence.)

Luistro, the chair of the House justice panel, also explained that in ordinary court case, only the parties involved are present.

“I wish to confirm na in ordinary court proceeding, parties din lang ang present. Reason is, before the issuance of pre-trial order, ima-manifest din ng prosecution at ng defense lahat ng naging agreement nila during the pre-trial conference,” she said.

(I wish to confirm that in an ordinary court proceeding, only the parties are present. Reason is, before the issuance of pre-trial order, the prosecution and defense will manifest all their agreements during the pre-trial conference.)

“We have to understand also that pre-trial conference is really time-consuming because it will entail the pieces of evidence and their marking which will be used or presented during the trial of this case,” she added.

Asked if the “no media” policy is connected to possible security issues involving potential witnesses, Luistro said: “I think the purpose is not to preempt, not to preempt the name of the witnesses because that is a possibility.”

“’Yung sinabi mo, na baka ma-pressure itong mga witness na ito, if ever their names will be publicized as early as this stage, it is best na saka na lang i-publicize. Perhaps after the issuance of pre-trial order. That pre-trial order is a public document so I presume that that will be shared to the public as well.”

(What you said, about witnesses possibly getting pressured, if ever their names will be publicized as early as this stage, it is best to publicize it later. Perhaps after the issuance of pre-trial order. That pre-trial order is a public document so I presume that that will be shared to the public as well.)

Earlier, the Senate impeachment court under Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian ordered the prosecution and the defense to submit their list of witnesses and evidence for Duterte’s impeachment trial by June 18.

San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora, a member of the House prosecution panel, belives that the pre-trial conference should be made public.

“Well, we were hoping that the pre-trial conference would be open to the media or to the public. Maybe the Senate did this just because they thought that this is something like a, you know, a ministerial duty or something that is very tedious and the process is uh quite boring,” Zamora said in a separate online interview.

“That’s my personal view. I haven’t talked to the rest, but I think that they should have decided to televise it,” she added.

Zamora, the vice chair of the House justice panel, was also asked about the “no media” policy and the possible security issues that potential witnesses may face.

“Maybe they thought that there might be some security issues if we release in public the names of the witnesses, as this is a highly political, highly divisive issue. So maybe that’s the concern also of the Senate,” she said.

Asked how transparency can be assured if the pre-trial conference is closed to the media or the public, Zamora noted that there will be minutes of the proceedings.

“I think that the Senate impeachment court secretariat will be doing their duties in properly transcribing everything that is happening during the pretrial conference. So, well, that will be, I believe that that will be made available to the public,” she added. — JMA, GMA News