Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon defended fellow prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro regarding her exchange with Senator Robin Padilla during Vice President Sara Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial, stating that her inquiry was purely intended to clear up a procedural matter.
Nevertheless, Ridon urged the impeachment court to establish formal guidelines on whether legal teams are allowed to seek clarifications from senator-judges throughout the trial.
“Tingin ko walang masamang magtanong at maglinaw ang isang prosecutor or defense counsel sa Senate impeachment court kung ito ay para maglinaw lang po ng mga tanong ng mga senator-judges,” he stated during a virtual press conference on Thursday, July 23.
The statement follows a heated moment on Wednesday when Padilla took offense after Luistro sought to clarify his previous statements concerning senator-judges with pending legal cases and their eligibility to take part in the proceedings.
In response to Luistro, Padilla stated:
“Alam po ninyo, malinaw na ang sinabi ko at wala kayong karapatang magtanong.”
Ridon stressed that Luistro was merely seeking direction regarding procedural interpretations, not challenging the senator-judges’ authority or rulings.
“Kasi kami, hihingi ng paglilinaw sa Senate impeachment court kung ito ba ang aktwal na sitwasyon sa kaso. Kasi kami naman, sa pagtingin, naglilinaw lang naman po,” he explained.
After the encounter, Luistro expressed feeling “deprived” of her chance to speak by both Padilla and Senator Pia Cayetano.
Ridon believes a definitive ruling from the impeachment court is the best way to address the conflict moving forward.
“So I think very important moving forward na baka kailangan humingi ng paglilinaw ang prosecution team kung ito nga ba ang patakaran sa Senate impeachment court na hindi puwedeng magtanong ng paglilinaw,” Ridon said.
He noted that permitting both prosecution and defense teams to seek clarification when needed ensures a smoother and more balanced trial.
“I think, respectfully, maganda ang makapagtanong ng paglilinaw ang either party, whether defense or prosecution,” he added.