The legal team representing Vice President Sara Duterte has declared its readiness for the upcoming Senate impeachment trial scheduled to begin on July 6, hinting at the potential deployment of “surprise witnesses” to counter the prosecution’s case.
Atty. Michael Poa, speaking on behalf of the Vice President’s defense panel, emphasized that their preparations have been underway for over a year and remain solid following the conclusion of the pre-trial conference.
“For the part of the defense, we have been preparing for this for over a year now,” Poa said. “We’re ready then and we’re ready to go into trial now,” he added.
The defense is currently waiting for the official pre-trial order, a document that outlines the agreements made during the preliminary proceedings and allows both parties to provide feedback.
“Marami ding nangyari nung pre-trial so we’re awaiting kung ano din yung lalabas sa order,” he said.
“If there is a need to comment, we will comment, but so far, wala namang changes dun sa July 6 first trial date,” he added.
The Senate Impeachment Court released the pre-trial order to both the House prosecutors and Duterte’s lawyers on June 29. The court has mapped out a 92-day trial window, giving the House prosecution panel 62 trial dates to present their arguments, while allocating 30 dates to the defense.
Initial filings show a substantial lineup of testimonies, with the House prosecutors listing at least 57 witnesses and the defense submitting a list of 90 individuals in its pre-trial brief. However, Poa noted that the defense might scale back its witness list depending on the strength and direction of the prosecution’s arguments.
“I think we all know naman that it would still depend on how the prosecution presents their evidence, and we will have to react accordingly,” he said.
Furthermore, Poa revealed that both legal teams have kept additional witnesses in reserve for later stages of the trial.
“We have reserved witnesses and so did the prosecution,” he said. “May mga reserved witnesses kami and wala naman kaming problema doon as long as there is disclosure prior to the date that the witness will be presented,” Poa added.
He concluded that the defense’s strategy will primarily focus on dissecting the state’s evidence and cross-examining its witnesses before the Senate tribunal.
“The burden is upon the prosecution to make their case first,” Poa said. “For the defense, depending on what they present, that’s the time we actually determine kung ano yung kailangan namin ilabas,” he added.