Luistro dismisses reports Sara Duterte defense team 'outshone' House prosecutors

Lead impeachment prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro on Monday brushed off claims that the House prosecution panel was “outshone” by Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team during the opening day of the pre-trial conference in her impeachment case.

“That is not true. I charge that to fake news,” Luistro told reporters during a media briefing.

The pre-trial conference resumed on June 22 following its opening session on June 18. After the first day of proceedings, reports circulated claiming that Duterte’s defense team had allegedly outperformed the House prosecutors.

“The people should be very cautious now in watching...social media. We should be careful in deciphering what is correct and what is false,” Luistro said.

“Of course, I am conscious that I am representing the interests of the sovereign Filipino people. Hindi ako papayag na lamunin nang buhay ang laban ng sambayanang Pilipino,” she added.

(Of course, I am conscious that I am representing the interests of the sovereign Filipino people. I will not allow the Filipino people’s cause to be devoured alive.)

Lawyer Jay Tolosa, legal spokesperson for the House prosecution panel, said claims that either side had gained an “upper hand” during the pre-trial conference were “factually impossible.”

“Let’s stick to the facts. When you say ‘kinain’ or ‘nagkalamunan,’ what does that mean? It means someone got the upper hand over the other,” Tolosa said.

“It’s a pre-trial conference. In that context, saying that one side got the upper hand should mean that it obtained favorable rulings. That’s impossible because the clerk of the impeachment court cannot even issue rulings,” he added.

Mamamayang Liberal (ML) party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, a member of the House prosecution panel, echoed Luistro’s remarks and warned against misinformation surrounding the proceedings.

“As the proceedings progress, we can expect more disinformation, fake news, and factual distortions—especially once we reach the trial proper. We have to be very circumspect and careful in our reporting, particularly on social media, because this is a highly charged matter of national importance,” De Lima said.

Meanwhile, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said the Senate impeachment court is aiming to issue its pre-trial order by June 25, in line with the impeachment calendar, which sets the release of the order between June 18 and June 25.

“Hopefully, we can have it out even before that, but it’s a tight schedule considering we are only about two weeks away from the trial,” said Bantug, who also serves as clerk of the Senate impeachment court.

Bantug also dismissed reports that tensions marred the pre-trial proceedings and expressed hope that both sides would complete the marking of documentary evidence for Articles I and II on June 22.

“That’s not true. There were exchanges and discussions, but again, nothing out of the ordinary. It’s something that you should expect,” he said.

The pre-trial conference serves as the initial meeting between the prosecution and defense panels before senator-judges formally convene as an impeachment court on July 6.

Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives in February and is facing charges of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.

On June 1, Duterte’s camp filed its answer to the Articles of Impeachment and asked the impeachment court to dismiss the case.—MCG, GMA News