House prosecution questions Pia Cayetano's impartiality for posting spliced video

Senator Pia Cayetano's social media post featuring a spliced video of Akbayan party-list Representative Chel Diokno speaking on the merits of opening the bank account records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband was misleading and violated the senator's oath of impartiality as senator-judge in the impeachment trial, the House prosecution team said Wednesday.

In a message to GMA News Online, House prosecutor Leila de Lima said, "It is the Prosecutors' collective position that the conduct of Senator Pia Cayetano in so posting such spliced and misleading video was inapproriate and violative of her oath of impartiality as a Senator-Judge."

"With all due respect to our Senator-Judges, we in the House Prosecution hope that the posting of spliced videos should be avoided so as not to mislead the public. Maganda na laging maisama 'yung buong konteksto ng mga talakayan para magabayan at maliwanagan ang taumbayan sa mga nangyayari sa paglilitis," De Lima added.

(We should always include the whole context of the discussion for proper guidance and clarity that the public needs amid an impeachment trial.)

De Lima was referring to the video clip showing House prosecutor and Akbayan party-list Representative Chel Diokno and her brother, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, having an exchange regarding subpoenaing Duterte's financial records.

The posted video carried the caption, "Nagbabakasakali lang? Walang mga ebidensya pero nag-aakusa na!"

(Just taking a chance? No evidence yet, but accusations have been made already!)

De Lima, however, said it is up for the Senate impeachment court to address Cayetano's action.

"As to whether this matter should be addressed before the Impeachment Court, my only comment is we defer to the Senate's internal processes," De Lima said.

Diokno has since responded to the posting of the spliced video by saying that prosecutors are requesting for Duterte's bank records to check if they match with the reports of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). He sought to provide context to his statement.

"Hiningi natin ang bank records para makita kung tugma ito sa sinasabi ng AMLC reports. Tandaan: Ang bank records ay maaari lang mailabas kapag may utos o subpoena mula sa korte. Ibig sabihin, kung nabuksan ng Kamara ang mismong bank records bago ang trial, paglabag yan sa karapatan at due process ni VP Sara Duterte," the Akbayan Party-list representative said.

(We requested the bank records to see if they match what the AMLC reports are saying. Remember: Bank records can only be released if there is an order or subpoena from the court. This means that if the House had opened the actual bank records before the trial, that would have been a violation of the rights and due process of VP Sara Duterte.)

"Ngayong may subpoena na para sa bank records ng Bise Presidente, magagamit ito ng magkabilang panig para patunayan ang kanilang kaso," he added.

(Now that there is a subpoena for the Vice President's bank records, both sides can use this to prove their respective case.)

The Articles of Impeachment approved by the House of Representatives for Senate action accuses the Vice President of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery and other high crimes.

The Vice President has maintained that the impeachment case against her should be dismissed for lack of evidence, and that her supposed threat to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and his cousin former Speaker Martin Romualdez is part of her right to freedom of expression. — VDV, GMA News