Escudero no attempt to block Trillanes' testimony, says impeach court spox

The Senate impeachment court categorically denied Friday that there were “underhanded” efforts to stop former senator Sonny Trillanes from testifying in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial after it initially denied him a subpoena.

Senate impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol made the statement amid growing speculation that Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero deliberately blocked Trillanes from taking the witness stand to back allegations of Duterte’s unexplained wealth, as the prosecution requested.

“I’m somewhat familiar with the narrative you’re pushing. Your narrative is that something underhanded happened. There really wasn’t...It wasn’t the court’s fault. That is all I will tell you,” Tongol said in Filipino after being repeatedly pressed by the Senate media in a virtual briefing.

“The purpose of his testimony is to identify the bank records that were presented in the impeachment proceedings. At the time they were about to present former Senator Trillanes as a witness, the bank records had not yet been presented on Tuesday…There was no attempt to stop him because the impeachment court was ready for his testimony,” he added.

The spokesperson pointed out that Trillanes could still testify before the impeachment court because the defense and prosecution listed him as a common witness alongside Ombudsman Boying Remulla, NBI Director Melvin Matibag, ex-DBM chief Amenah Pangandaman, and Ramil Madriaga, who was also dropped by the prosecution.

The prosecution initially lined up Trillanes for Article 2 and sought the impeachment court’s approval to subpoena him this week.

He was supposed to testify on Wednesday after Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte, but the plan did not materialize when Escudero announced on Tuesday that the court had not issued a subpoena for the former senator.

Escudero’s rationale was that “the cart cannot be put ahead of the horse,” noting that Trillanes was originally scheduled to testify after the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and bank officials, and that the prosecution should stick to its initial lineup sequence.

Despite the pushback, Escudero said there’s no stopping the prosecution from presenting Trillanes as a voluntary witness. However, the prosecution subsequently dropped the erstwhile lawmaker from its lineup.

Trillanes later confirmed that the decision was made at his recommendation so that “the prosecution panel would be relieved from the pressure.”

In a presser on Friday, Trillanes alleged that a handful of senators were not consulted on Escudero’s decision. He also criticized his former colleague for preempting the prosecution’s strategy.

Trillanes intended to present documents alleging that bank transactions linked to the VP and her family were sent to China and Chinese-linked entities.

In the same presser, he alleged that Duterte and her husband, Mans Carpio, received millions in remittances from the People’s Republic of China through the couple’s corporation and non-profit organization.

In refuting the allegations, Tongol contended that the prosecution could have asked the impeachment court on Monday to subpoena Trillanes if they really intended to present him as a witness for the following day.

He pointed out that short notice is ill-advised because preparing a subpoena takes time. This also aims to avoid surprising witnesses and gives the opposing parties reasonable time to prepare for their examinations.

Tongol labeled Trillanes’ claims that he is not welcome at the Senate impeachment court a “baseless assumption,” considering that he was permitted to sit in the Senate’s gallery during Wednesday’s trial.

He also warned lawyers against propagating false claims that Escudero deliberately blocked Trillanes’s testimony, saying that such misleading statements could lead to disciplinary actions, including suspension and disbarment.

The impeachment court aims to conclude the trial and reach a verdict by 16 December.