The legal defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte rejected the majority of the allegations brought against her during the opening of her impeachment pre-trial conference on Thursday, June 18, according to a house prosecutor.
Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro, a lead member of the House prosecution panel, stated that while the vice president’s lawyers made a few initial admissions, they ultimately denied most of the stipulations raised during the proceeding.
“There are some na may admission pero syempre anticipated na mas marami ang denial. But we cannot delve into the details of this,” Luistro said.
Luistro explained that the overwhelming denials were completely expected. She noted that impeachment cases are inherently adversarial, making it standard for the prosecution and defense to maintain conflicting positions when trying to agree on the facts of the case.
She emphasized that these contentious dynamics are simply a natural part of ensuring due process for both sides.
The lawmaker also confirmed that the official marking of documentary evidence commenced during Thursday’s session. The procedure, which involves sorting through evidence linked to four distinct articles of impeachment, is scheduled to wrap up by Monday.
Once the evidentiary marking is completed, the court will issue a formal pre-trial order.
Luistro noted that both legal teams will have the opportunity to submit comments if they detect any inconsistencies or errors in the official record of the conference.
The full, continuous impeachment trial is officially slated to begin on July 6.
Luistro expressed her gratitude to the impeachment court, the prosecution, and the defense for working together to streamline the pre-trial phase, acknowledging that the public expects the trial to begin without delay.