House prosecutors on Monday expressed confidence that senator-judges would remain politically neutral as the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte resumed.

Speaking before the proceedings, private prosecutor Jay Tolosa said the panel expected senators to fulfill their constitutional duty by deciding the case based solely on the evidence.

“We remain hopeful that all senator-judges would comply with their obligation under the rules of impeachment to observe political neutrality,” Tolosa said.

He said neutrality requires senator-judges to evaluate the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense without regard to political affiliation or preference.

The appeal came as several civic groups staged protests outside the Senate urging lawmakers to approve subpoenas for the tax and bank records of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, as well as documents from the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

The Senate last week deferred action on the subpoena requests after Senate President Francis Escudero, presiding over the impeachment court, allowed senator-judges more time to examine legal arguments from both sides.

The defense has opposed the subpoenas, arguing they would violate laws protecting the confidentiality of financial records.

House prosecution spokesperson Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the demonstrations reflected strong public interest in the proceedings.

“The public are routinely monitoring and evaluating the impeachment,” Adiong said.

Asked whether any senator-judge had shown bias, Adiong declined to speculate, saying the prosecution’s focus was on presenting sufficient evidence for the court to reach a sound judgment.

“The House prosecution panel continues to present evidence and testimony... for the senator-judges to arrive at a sound judgment,” he said.

The impeachment court was expected to rule Monday on the prosecution’s subpoena requests after hearing further arguments from both sides.