House prosecutor: Important for Filipinos to understand, watch impeachment trial

The House Prosecution Panel on Tuesday said they are ready for the start of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with one of the members saying he hopes Filipinos will respect and follow the impeachment process.

The trial is set to begin on on Monday, July 6. The date was mentioned in the pre-trial order released by the Senate Impeachment Court to the House Prosecution Panel and the vice president's defense team yesterday.

"Handa po tayo at gagalangin natin ang proseso. Sana galangin din ng bawat Pilipino ang ating impeachment court," House Impeachment Prosecutor Representative Lorenz Defensor said in an ambush interview at the House of Representatives today.

(We are ready and we will respect the process. We hope every Filipino will respect the impeachment court.)

The pre-trial order also stated that Filipino and English will be used during the trial.

"Dapat maintindihan ng bawat Pilipino ang nangyayari sa impeachment trial. Dapat maintindihan nila ang ebidensya at ang mga diskusyon at ang mga debate. Dapat maintindihan nila kung ano ang sinasabi ng ating mga senator-judges. The impeachment is one of the highest forms of inquest at dapat maintindihan ng Pilipino kasi kasama sila sa paghusga nito," Defensor said.

(Every Filipino should understand what is happening at the impeachment trial. They must understand the evidence and the discussions and the debates. They must understand what the senator-judges are saying. The impeachment is one of the highest forms of inquest and all Filipinos must understand because they are part of judging it.)

In an online interview, another House Impeachment Prosecutor, Bicol Saro Representative Terry Ridon, said that the prosecution is very ready for the trial to begin.

"So ito pong susunod pong mga araw, ito po ay paghanda doon sa unang araw at paghanda po doon sa presentation po ng mga witnesses sa susunod pong linggo. So yan po yung mga pinipinal na po ng prosecution panel sa linggo pong ito," House Impeachment Prosecutor Representative Terry Ridon said in an online interview today.

(So in these next few days we will be preparing for the first day and the presentation of witnesses the next week. That is what the prosecution is finalizing this week.)

The pre-trial order, which contains the schedule for the trial, the list of witnesses and exhibits, and other matters, will serve as the guide for holding the impeachment trial.

"Malaking bagay yon para malinaw sa korte kung anong mga bagay na napagkasundaan ng mga partido, kung ano ang mga exhibits na namarkahan, at mga testigo," Defensor said.

(It's important for clarifying to the court which things both parties have agreed to, which exhibits have been marked, and the witnesses.)

"Kalakhan naman po ng inaasahan namin na nakalakap doon sa pre-trial order na ito ay naroon. So yun pong listahan ng mga witnesses, lahat ng exhibits, at yung mga facts of marking at common witnesses, at sequencing ng presentation of evidence, at yung bilang ng trial dates ay nandoon po sa pre-trial order," Ridon stated.

(What we are expecting are all in the pre-trial order: the list of witnesses, the exhibits, the facts of marking and common witnesses, the sequencing of the presentation of evidence, and the number of trial dates.)

Common witnesses

The prosecution listed at least 57 witnesses while the defense, at least 45.

Seventeen of them are common witnesses, including Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to be the vice president's former aide and alleged bagman; NBI Director Melvin Matibag; former senator Antonio Trillanes IV; former Budget secretary Amenah Pangandaman; Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla; Anti Money Laundering Council Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura; and Commission on Audit Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Officer Gloria Camora.

But Ridon is wondering why the defense needed to list these individuals as their witnesses also when they could be cross-examined by the defense when presented by the prosecution during the trial.

"Yung pagkakaroon po ng 17 common witnesses po ay, siyempre, ang expectation po namin, yun pong mga witnesses po na ito ay mako-cross-examine ng depensa pagka ho inilatag na po namin sila sa paglilitis," Ridon explained.

"Kaya ang wonder po namin, sa totoo lang, pagka ho sinalang po ito pong mga witnesses po namin para sa depensa naman po for direct, ano po yung iba pang mga bagay na puwede po nila itanong kung ang mga tanong po ay puwede naman po maitanong na during cross-examination ng defense pagka kami po yung nagsalang sa mga witnesses po nito at the first instance? Pero malaya naman po silang gawin yon. Binabanggit lang po namin yung po aming wonder at observations," Ridon added.

(We were expecting having common witnesses, but of course we were also expecting the defense to cross-examine witnesses. So we were wondering, if these witnesses are to be presented by the defense for direct examination, what other questions will they ask when they could have questioned them through cross-examination? But they are free to do that. We're just mentioning our wonder and observations.)

Article 4

The presentation of evidence by the House Prosecution Panel will start with Article 4 on the threats made by the Vice President against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

"Yung sequencing noong presentation of evidence, hindi naman yan kailangan nakatali doon sa sequencing noong Articles of Impeachment," Ridon explained.

"Yan po yung isa sa mga pinakamadali pong patunayan. Kasi katulad ng binabanggit ko, the video of threats against the President would speak for itself. So ibig sabihin, hindi po ito kailangan ng mga eyewitness testimony na binanggit po mismo ng pangalawang pangulo ito pong bagay po na ito," he added.

(The sequencing of the presentation of evidence does not need to be tied to the sequencing of the Articles of Impeachment. This article is one of the easiest to prove. Because the video of threats against the President would speak for itself. So this would not need eyewitness testimony.)

The Senate Impeachment Court directed the House Prosecution Panel and the vice president's defense team to comment on the pre-trial order within three days of receipt.

Ridon said the prosecution will file within the week. — BM, GMA News