Public urged to focus on presented evidence rather than schedule of VP Sara impeachment

The public should focus more on the pieces of evidence presented in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte rather than on the changes to its schedule, Senate impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Reginald Tongol said on Sunday.

“'Yung pag-uusap regarding sa schedule is such a small and mini matter compared to what is really before the impeachment court,” Tongol told Super Radyo dzBB.

(The discussion over the schedule is such a minor matter compared to the issues actually before the impeachment court.)

“Dapat ang mas pinag-uusapan ng taong-bayan are the evidence really being presented pati 'yung mga legal theories ng magkabilang panig,” he added.

(What the public should be talking more about is the evidence being presented and the legal theories of both sides.)

Tongol further said the impeachment schedule is a minor and ordinary matter, noting that reports about changes to the schedule have been making headlines recently.

“I think it is so unfair for the impeachment court to be reduced to a scheduling conflict. Sana ang ating diskurso ay lumawak-lawak naman sa mga ukol sa mga mas importanteng bahagi ng impeachment trial,” Tongol said.

(I think it is so unfair for the impeachment court to be reduced to a scheduling conflict. I hope our discourse can widen to focus on the more important aspects of the impeachment trial.)

According to Tongol, among the matters currently being discussed before the impeachment court are the presentation of evidence for Article I, the ruling on the sub judice rule, the response of private prosecutor Armando Ligutan to Duterte’s lead counsel Sheila Sison’s statement, and determining what else the parties need to do to substantiate their respective cases.

Article 1 of the impeachment complaint accuses the Vice President of committing impeachable offenses due to systematic misappropriation and irregular liquidation of confidential funds amounting to P500 million released to the Office of the Vice President and the P112.5 million released to the Department of Education during her tenure as secretary.

The House prosecution team earlier said it favors starting the impeachment trial of Duterte at 3 p.m. onwards, while the Vice President’s defense team said it will comply with any schedule changes the impeachment court implements.

The impeachment court is conducting the trial from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This is to allow time for the Senate plenary session, where bills are deliberated and approved, at 3 p.m.

Sub Judice ruling

Tongol said the Senate impeachment court is expected to release a decision regarding public engagements.

“Let’s not preempt the presiding officer, pero bukas ’yan, noh, and hindi ko rin puwedeng ilahad kung ano ’yung nakapaloob sa kanyang decision dahil ’yun ’yung pinaka-final dahil kailangan pang bigyan ng pagkakataon si Atty. Ligutan para makapagsabi ng kanyang side ukol sa manifestation ni Atty. Sison,” Tongol said.

(Let’s not preempt the presiding officer, but that will be taken up tomorrow. I also cannot disclose what is contained in the decision because it is not yet final, as Atty. Ligutan still needs to be given a chance to state his side regarding Atty. Sison’s manifestation.)

He added that the decision is a “moving resolution” as nothing yet is “set in stone” until Ligutan is given due process.

Presiding officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero had said he was "drafting a ruling, warning, and order" regarding a pattern observed by the clerk of court in which social media posts by lawyers representing “one side have crossed the line many, many times.”

This came after Duterte’s defense team criticized a social media post by private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan, who commented on the use of misleading questions during the impeachment trial.

Ligutan’s Facebook post read: “A principle all lawyers and law students know by heart: Misleading questions are not allowed even on cross-examination.”

The post followed a courtroom exchange between private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan and defense attorney Kristine Ferrer, during which the latter appeared to claim that misleading questions were permissible during cross-examination.

The prosecution argued that even before the defense complaint, the integrity of the court had already been called into question by earlier incidents, specifically a statement made by Vice President Sara Duterte and a spliced video uploaded online.

Tongol urged the public to be patient with the impeachment process and verify reports seen online as Duterte’s trial continues.

“Huwag mo tayong kumalas, huwag tayong mainip dahil ang proseso ng isang trial, more than anything, kahit na nakikita niyong mabagal. Ito po ay pagpapalabas ng katotohanan … Huwag tayong mawalan ng pasensya dahil kasama ito sa pagpapalabas ng katotohanan,” he said.

(Let’s not lose sight of the process and be impatient because the process of a trial, more than anything else, even if it may seem slow, is about bringing out the truth. Let’s not lose patience because this is part of the process of establishing the truth.)

“Tayo ay sumabaybay sa mga credible new outlet na merong fact-checking at ethical yung kanilang paglalabas… Bilang netizen, kailangan i-verify natin lagi yung facts na yun,” he added.

(We should follow credible news outlets that practice fact-checking and uphold ethical standards in reporting. As netizens, we all need to verify the facts we encounter.) —RF, GMA News