MANILA, Philippines — The legal camp of Vice President Sara Duterte fired back at the impeachment prosecution panel on Saturday, November 7, accusing its members of spreading half-truths and engaging in malicious speculation through ongoing media briefings and public interviews.
Atty. Paolo Panelo, Duterte’s spokesperson, criticized the prosecution’s tactics, arguing that their continuous public commentary disregards fundamental principles of fairness and due process.
“We apparently live in two worlds. One where due process and fairness still reign—where an accused is not condemned before she is heard, and where allegations must be proven with clear and convincing evidence presented in court,” Panelo said.
“The other is wherever Atty. Lorna Kapunan, a member of the private prosecutor panel, and her colleagues have decided these rules no longer apply,” he added.
The friction follows public remarks made a day prior by Kapunan, who questioned the readiness and capability of the 24 defense witnesses listed by Duterte’s camp to counter the allegations under Article II of the impeachment complaint.
Kapunan also challenged the defense to present an expert witness capable of disproving the findings of prosecution witness Atty. Alexander Cabrera, who estimated at least ₱817.87 million in alleged unexplained wealth tied to the Vice President and her husband, Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio.
Panelo blasted the prosecution’s media strategy, alleging that members were attempting to manipulate public perception with misleading assertions.
“One world seeks the truth. The other desperately tries to persuade an increasingly skeptical public with asinine sound bites built on half-truths and malicious speculation, spewed out in daily, obtrusive, and nauseating press briefings and interviews,” Panelo stated.
Insisting that the prosecution had already been given its opportunity to substantiate the charges and failed, Panelo announced that the Vice President is moving forward with her defense.
“The prosecution had its chance. It failed. On Monday, the Vice President begins her defense,” he added.