MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution team has requested that the Senate impeachment court enforce its sub judice rule impartially across all individuals involved in the trial, including Vice President Sara Duterte.
The appeal follows show-cause orders issued to private prosecutor Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. and House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon for allegedly making public comments about the case’s merits. Both have since filed their explanations.
Expressing confidence in their submissions, Tolosa noted that their statements were made in good faith and without intent to breach confidentiality rules.
“We’re hoping kapag nakita iyong answer natin, explanation natin, at tiningnan iyong buong konteksto ng mga statements natin, makikita sana na wala namang naging paglabag at lahat ng mga statements natin were all made in good faith,” Tolosa said.
Tolosa emphasized that public remarks made by Duterte pose a more severe threat to the sub judice principle, pointing to her previous allegations against the court and its senator-judges.
“Narinig naman natin noon ang sinabi mismo ng bise presidente, sabi niya the impeachment proceedings ay marred by bending the law, ibig sabihin binabaluktot ang batas,” Tolosa said.
While Senate President and presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero had previously cleared early violations for all involved parties, Tolosa raised concerns over subsequent statements made by the Vice President regarding executive control over officials.
“hawak ni Marcos ang mga senador, ang mga huwes, at mga piskal.”
According to the prosecution, these remarks directly target the credibility of the trial.
“Sa amin napakaliwanag niyan that that’s an attack against the integrity of the impeachment court, to say that the president is controlling the senators, of course, these are the same senator judges,” Tolosa said.
He warned that such rhetoric could undermine public belief in the legitimacy of the trial’s eventual outcome.
“So, iyan ho ang para sa amin na mas delikado dahil ito nga, this could give the impression doon sa mga tao na naniniwala sa kanya at will take those statements as fact, na iisipin nila kung ano man ang magiging desisyon ng mga senator-judges dito, lalo na kung hindi paborable sa bise presidente, iisipin nila hindi iyan dahil sa ebidensya na linatag ng mga parties, ito lamang ay dahil nga sa sinasabi niyang na kokontrolado ng presidente ang mga senador,” he added.
Tolosa stressed that the prosecution is not asking for special privileges, but rather consistent enforcement to preserve the authority of the court.
“Ang hinihingi lang namin sa prosekusyon, mayroon lang isang rule dito; there is one rule governing the proceedings, and this rule should be applied evenly to all persons covered by it,” Tolosa said.
“Dahil alam naman natin, kapag ang mga rules, if these are applied without fairness, na-weaken yung mga tribunals. Pero kapag naman yung mga makikita na rules are applied evenly, na-strengthen naman yung tribunal,” he added.