‘We are very satisfied with the outcome of today’s trial, and we hope to sustain this throughout the 90 trial days. We are ready to continue presenting our case.’
MEMBERS of the House Prosecution Panel during the first day of the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Aram Lascano
House prosecutor Representative Lorenz Defensor on Tuesday said the prosecution was satisfied with the second day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, saying key evidence supporting the articles of impeachment was successfully presented before the Senate impeachment court.
“We scored with the video that was presented that should be seen by the Senate impeachment court. We also scored with the other statements made by Vice President Sara Duterte that support the articles of impeachment,” Defensor said during a press briefing after the day’s proceedings.
“We are very satisfied with the outcome of today’s trial, and we hope to sustain this throughout the 90 trial days. We are ready to continue presenting our case,” he added.
The prosecution presented National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, a digital forensics examiner, as its first witness for the article of impeachment involving Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Calilung authenticated videos obtained during the NBI’s investigation, including the now-controversial two-minute and 18-second clip in which Duterte stated that she had instructed someone to kill the President, the First Lady and Romualdez if anything happened to her.
Defensor said the presentation of the video and Duterte’s other public statements marked an important step in establishing the prosecution’s case.
He also commended Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero for what he described as his fair handling of the proceedings.
“I’m happy, and I hope this will continue throughout the impeachment trial. That has always been our only plea — that the evidence be presented so both the senator-judges and the public can see it,” Defensor said.
Private prosecutors’ role
Defensor also addressed questions over why private prosecutor Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan was allowed to directly examine the prosecution’s witness.
He said the participation of private prosecutors is permitted under the Senate Rules on Impeachment and that Ligutan’s appearance had already been recognized by the impeachment court during the opening day of the trial.
“We have our own internal strategy on how to handle our witnesses and which lawyers will examine them. I can’t disclose that strategy for now,” Defensor said.
He maintained that the prosecution team is fully prepared for the trial and expressed hope that it would be allowed to implement its litigation strategy to effectively present its evidence and witnesses before the impeachment court.
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