Members of the House Prosecution panel sought for the Senate impeachment court to consider an alternating sequence of evidence presentation when it came to the four Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a manifestation submitted to the Senate on 27 July, the prosecutors said that deciding on how evidence would be conducted throughout the proceedings was up to the upper house, with no distinct or explicit guidelines on how the same should be carried out.

“Subject to the sound discretion of the Impeachment Court, the Prosecution respectfully manifests its preference for the proposed alternating presentation of evidence by the Prosecution and the Respondent on an article-to-article basis,” the document read.

It was noted that a similar proposal was raised by a senator-judge during the impeachment of the late former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The request, however, was not accepted as the impeachment court then preferred for the prosecution to finish its presentation before the defense offered its counter-arguments.

For the prosecutors, the refusal of the motion was not a direct denial that was based on the law, rather it was proof that such matters were up to the decision of the Senate.

More than presenting in a manner of an article-to-article basis, the manifestation further stated that the Constitution did not necessarily prescribe for evidence per impeachment article be conducted in a continuous manner, a precedent that was set in the proceedings of Corona.

While stating its preference for an alternating presentation of evidence, the panel said that it was open to accepting any decision that the impeachment court will have on the matter.

“The Prosecution respectfully signifies its preference for an alternating presentation of evidence by the Prosecution and the Respondent on an article-by-article basis, while reiterating its full willingness to abide by whatever procedure the Impeachment Court, in the exercise of its constitutional authority, ultimately adopts,” it said.

The impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte is set to resume on Wednesday, 29 July, with the prosecutors scheduled to present its first witness on Article I, concerning the alleged confidential funds misuse of the Vice President.