Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon challenged Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team to elevate their performance as the Senate impeachment trial continues.
“May mensahe po tayo sa depensa – yan na ba yung best nyo? Galingan niyo pa ng konti,” Ridon stated during a press briefing ahead of Tuesday’s proceedings.
Ridon, who serves on the House prosecution panel, asserted that the defense failed to weaken the testimonies given by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc and Special Agent John Mark Calilung, the first two witnesses called to the stand.
During Monday’s session, defense lawyers focused their cross-examination on typographical errors and date discrepancies found within the prosecution’s documentary evidence. Ridon dismissed these tactics as inconsequential to the core allegations.
“Even if they have raised documents discrepancies on cross[-examination], it did not diminish the threat itself. Hindi ho ba?” Ridon said.
He emphasized that minor clerical errors do not erase the reality of the statements made by the Vice President.
“Ang pinag-uusapan pa rin po natin dito, yun pong banta ng Pangalawang Pangulo sa Pangulo, sa House Speaker, at the First Lady. So hindi ho nagbabago yun, tuloy pa rin yun,” he stressed.
According to Ridon, the fundamental elements of the accusation remain undamaged by the defense’s strategy.
“Hindi nagbago yung fact na mayroong nagbanta, mayroong pagbabanta, at mayroon pong pinagbataan. So pasok pa rin po sa banga yun pong teorya ng prosekusyon na mayroon pong aktwal na pagbabanta laban sa Pangulo…that rise[s] to a level of an impeachable offense.”
The controversial remarks made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez form the basis of Article IV of the impeachment complaint.
Ridon concluded that the prosecution remains unfazed by the defense’s hyper-focus on paperwork details.
“So we’ll let them nitpick on all of these documents. No problem. Kasi hindi ho nagbabago yung fact na mayroon pong pagbabanta,” Ridon stressed.