'Exciting moments,' but no surprises in VP Sara pre-trial conference—Senate exec

Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. on Friday denied there were tensions during the first day of the pre-trial conference on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Bantug, who also serves as the clerk of the Senate impeachment court, said the pre-trial brief was productive, adding no unusual event occurred during the proceedings.

"There were some exciting moments between the counsel but it's nothing unusual sa mga ganiyang paghaharap," Bantug told reporters.

(There were some exciting moments between the counsel but it's nothing unusual in these kinds of proceedings.)

"Hindi ko masasabi na contentions, but there were some exchanges, which usually occur whenever you have two parties in a conference," he said.

(I cannot say there were contentions, but there were some exchanges, which usually occur whenever you have two parties in a conference.)

On Thursday, the pre-trial conference for Duterte's impeachment case commenced at the Senate, with members of the Vice President's team and House prosecutors present.

Lawyer Michael Poa, one of Duterte's legal counsel, earlier said they have finished marking the documentary evidence for Articles III and IV and will continue the proceedings for Articles I and II on Monday, June 22.

He also rejected reports of tension during the pre-trial brief, saying they had a "good session" during the conference.

"Maybe because of the volume of the evidence that needs to be marked, not because of any argument or issues between the parties. It's the sheer volume of the documents that need to be marked," Bantug said.

He said the pre-trial brief is important to facilitate the flow of the impeachment trial. He also said the impeachment court secretariat may only issue a pre-trial order after the conference.

"We will issue a pre-trial order, more or less capsulizing what transpired during the pre-trial conference. That will be given to both parties," Bantug added.

The pre-trial conference is the initial gathering of both panels before the senator-judges formally convene the impeachment court on July 6.

Sara Duterte was impeached by the House in May. She is accused of culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery and other high crimes.

It may be recalled that on May 18, the Senate convened as an impeachment court.

On June 1, Duterte’s camp filed their answer to the Articles of Impeachment and asked it to junk the impeachment case against her.—LDF GMA News