House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin on Tuesday accused the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte of attempting to distract the public from the central issues in the impeachment trial by focusing on matters that do not directly challenge the prosecution’s evidence.

Commenting on the defense’s cross-examination of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regional director Jeremy Lotoc, Garin said the line of questioning sought to divert attention from the Vice President’s statements by suggesting that the NBI was under the influence of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“It is a form of diversion, a deviation from the issue being discussed at hand... what this really just says is that the issue is there. Probably, they don’t have an explanation to refute the validity or the truth of the report,” Garin said.

She maintained that Lotoc’s testimony remained intact despite the defense’s attempts to cast doubt on the investigation.

“Atty. Jeremy Lotoc was very clear. They looked at the aspects of the investigation and what happened was clear and who spoke was the Vice President. It was very clear that it was not just an ordinary threat,” she said.

Palace influence

During the impeachment trial, defense lawyers sought to establish that the NBI could have been influenced by Malacañang because it is overseen by the Department of Justice, which falls under the Executive branch.

However, several senator-judges questioned the relevance of the line of inquiry, while Lotoc testified that the President had no involvement in the bureau’s investigation.

Lotoc said the inquiry was conducted motu proprio, or on the bureau’s own initiative, as part of its mandate to investigate threats involving high-ranking government officials.

House public prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon echoed Garin’s view, saying Lotoc’s testimony disproved allegations that the investigation was politically directed.

“How can we actually say that the agencies were directed in their operation when there was a back and forth between the DoJ and the NBI relating to the requirements to file charges?” Ridon said.