MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from the House prosecution panel have dismissed claims by Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp that the prosecution failed to prove its case during the ongoing Senate impeachment trial.
Speaking at a media forum on Saturday, November 7, Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon questioned the logic behind statements made by the Vice President’s spokesperson, Atty. Paolo Panelo, who asserted that the prosecution team had been unsuccessful.
Ridon argued that the defense would not need to address the accusations point-by-point or prepare an extensive presentation if the prosecution’s evidence lacked substance.
“In what universe did we actually fail at this point?” Ridon said.
“Hindi ko alam kung masama lang ‘yung gising ni Attorney Panelo, pero hindi ko alam kung saang [universe] niya hinugot ito pong pagtingin po niya sa actual na estado ng paglilitis po ngayon,” he added.
Private prosecutor Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. echoed these sentiments, pointing out an inconsistency between Panelo’s claims of a failed prosecution and the defense’s move to field an initial list of 24 witnesses during the first week of its presentation.
“Ano ‘yun ang claim nila it failed. So, ibig sabihin parang wala kang walang kwenta, walang says ebidensya natin. Pero sa first week pa lang they already want to present 24 witnesses. So, parang hindi masyadong consistent to,” Tolosa noted.
The defense team is scheduled to begin presenting its evidence and witnesses on Monday, November 9, with hearings slated through November 13. The lineup features local government personnel, corporate officers, and bank representatives.
Addressing potential political repercussions for 2028, Ridon noted that a conviction leading to perpetual disqualification would force the Duterte camp to seek an alternative candidate, though he declined to speculate on potential successors such as Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.
Commenting on recent pre-election figures like the OCTA Research survey, Ridon cautioned against reading too deeply into early polls, emphasizing that future survey rounds will offer a clearer trend.
“We will still have to look at the next set of surveys and the next set of results from the different survey firms. Kasi siyempre mahirap magkaroon ng correlation among the survey results of different firms,” he said.