PASAY CITY, Philippines — Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday, October 4, clarified that the decision not to issue a subpoena to former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was a collective action by the tribunal, rather than an isolated choice made by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
Lacson addressed the matter on social media following public criticisms raised by Trillanes against Escudero regarding the presiding officer’s management of the Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment proceedings.
“Just so the public knows. Not to defend (Escudero), but the decision not to subpoena… Trillanes wasn’t made by him alone,” Lacson posted.
According to impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Reginald Tongol, the tribunal’s pretrial order had initially designated Trillanes as a shared witness for both the prosecution and defense teams.
Trillanes subsequently requested the House prosecution panel to drop him from their official list to relieve them from mounting external pressure. He was originally slated to present evidence regarding Article II of the charges, which focuses on alleged unexplained wealth involving the Duterte family.
While acknowledging the effort behind the former lawmaker’s documentation, Lacson pointed out that the issue centered on the legal admissibility of the information presented.
“In fairness to… Trillanes, masustansya ang kanyang research,” Lacson noted.
“The main issue is (its) evidentiary value for prosecutorial purposes due to his apparent lack of personal knowledge,” he explained.
Following his removal from the witness list, Trillanes convened a press conference at Club Filipino in San Juan City to publicly detail the findings he had intended to bring before the Senate tribunal.
During the briefing, Trillanes alleged that ₱96 million had been withdrawn from a joint bank account belonging to Vice President Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
He further claimed that ₱469 million from sources tied to the Chinese government was transferred to an entity and foundation associated with the Vice President and her spouse, Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio, and asserted that the Duterte family accepted ₱181.65 million from Davao-based businessman Sammy Uy.