Witness in VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial excused by court after stipulation of documents

The Senate impeachment court on Monday immediately dismissed House of Representatives Legislative Information Resources Management Department director Marivic Pareja after the defense panel stipulated to all documents presented by the House prosecution team.

On the 16th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, House Prosecutor and Cagayan de Oro 1st District Representataive Lordan Suan presented the following documents received by the House Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service for storage and custody, as transmitted by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability (CGGPA) relative to its hearings from September 18 to December 9, 2024:

• Letter of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to Hon. Joel R. Chua, Chairperson, CGGPA, dated September 23, 2024
• Letter of Atty. Zuleika T. Lopez, Undersecretary and Chief of Staff, OVP, to Hon. Joel R. Chua, Chairperson, CGGPA, dated October 7, 2024
• Letter of Edward D. Fajarda to Hon. Joel R. Chua, Chairperson, CGGPA, dated October 7, 2024
• Letter of Atty. Rosalynne L. Sanchez, Director, Administrative and Financial Services Office, OVP, to Hon. Joel. R. Chua, Chairperson, CGGPA, dated October 7, 2024
• Letter of Lemuel G. Ortonio, Assistant Secretary, OVP, to Hon. Joel R. Chua, Chairperson, CGGPA, dated October 7, 2024
• Position paper of Atty. Lopez et al, dated November 5, 2024
• Position paper of OVP Employees, dated November 5, 2024
• Letter of Gina Acosta, Sunshine Charry A. Fajarda, and Eduard D. Fajarada to Hon. Joel R. Chua, Chairperson CGGPA, dated November 12, 2024, regarding their failure to attend the CGGPA inquiry hearings
• Letter of Atty. Lopez to Hon. Joel R. Chua, Chairperson, CGGPA, dated November 24, 2024
• Letter of Gamallel A. Cordoba, Chairperson, COA, with subject: Compliance with Subpoena Duces Tecum dated August 16, 2024, addressed to Hon. Elizaldy S. Co, Chairperson, Committee on Appropriations, dated August 21, 2024
• Letter of Atty. Lopez to Gamallel A. Cordoba, Chairperson, COA, dated August 21, 2024

Atty. Lindon Miguel Bacquel confirmed the defense panel’s stipulation to the documents.

“Your Honor, we confirm our stipulation as to the documents mentioned by the prosecution, that these documents are transmitted to the Archives and the Archives are the custodian of these documents,” Bacquel said.

The defense likewise agreed to stipulate the certification that the witness issued as to the identity and faithful reproduction of the documents.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero thereafter excused Pareja from the witness stand.

Pareja has been a House employee for 27 years, and has served as the service director of the House Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service for the past eight years.

The House Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service is the official repository of all records of the House of Representatives, including those that were transmitted to it by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, in connection with the panel hearings conducted from September to December 2024.

It is also responsible for the storage, preservation, retrieval, and release of certified true copies of such records, and the issuance of certifications.

When the trial resumed on Monday morning, only 13 senator-judges were declared present, constituting a quorum. —KG, GMA News