House prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro on Thursday called for equal treatment of both parties in the impeachment trial, saying the prosecution should be allowed to fully explain its position instead of being limited to answering open-ended questions.

In an interview with DZMM, Luistro said the prosecution respects the authority of the senator-judges but hopes they will give both sides sufficient opportunity to clarify their arguments during the proceedings.

"It usually happens in all court proceedings. I only hope that both parties—not just the prosecution—are allowed to explain and justify their positions,” Luistro said.

The prosecutor explained that questions raised by senator-judges are intended to clarify issues that may still be unclear after the presentation of witnesses, as parties should be allowed to explain and justify their answers.

"Fairness, in the sense that both sides should be allowed to explain," Luistro asserted.

Luistro added that restricting responses to "yes" or "no" could prevent the prosecution from properly representing the House of Representatives and the Filipino people, arguing that the prosecution should not be "one-sided.”

"I was really surprised because all cases are adversarial. There are always opposing parties—we have the prosecution and the defense," Luistro said.

According to Luistro, prosecutors are expected to advocate for their case, while the defense is expected to argue for the respondent, making it natural for each side to advance its respective position.

The prosecutor also acknowledged that the impeachment court ultimately has authority over the proceedings but expressed hope that public reaction to the issue would reinforce the importance of each participant's role.

"If there is anyone here who should be neutral and not one-sided, it is the senator-judges. They should remain in the middle," she said. "Their decision should be based on the evidence."

Luistro added that it is natural for the prosecution to advocate for its own case rather than remain neutral, adding that impartiality is expected from the senator-judges, whose decision should be based solely on the evidence presented.