House prosecutors: Weeklong evidence disclosure vs VP Sara

MANILA, Philippines — As the impeachment trial starts today, the House prosecution team has vowed to present evidence all week, aiming to pin down Vice President Sara Duterte on her assassination plot against the First Couple.

Lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville Luistro is expected to introduce Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor, who has been assigned to present Article IV – or the charges of grave threats against the Vice President.

As per the Senate impeachment court, Defensor (Iloilo 3rd district) has 11 trial dates to prove that Duterte hatched an assassination plot against the First Couple, and committed grave threats and inciting to sedition against the Marcos government.

“Let us allow the truth to be laid out directly from the evidence – not from mere propaganda. Let the law prevail, not politics,” House prosecution adviser and former Surigao del Norte lawmaker Robert Ace Barbers said.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co, for her part, stressed that the prosecution’s role is to present evidence before the impeachment court in accordance with constitutional procedures, adding that the House respects the rights of both sides.

“Tomorrow is the day. It’s not drama and it’s not about any cover up,” she said yesterday. “The trial process should be allowed to prevail where the defense also has all the right to respond. The public has the right to know. Let us end the process and nobody should stand in the way.”

Lanao del Norte 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said their camp will never resort to political rhetoric, as the House remains ready to present its case in an orderly and professional manner.

“Our preparation is focused on the evidence, the witnesses and the process. The impeachment court is the right place where these issues should be threshed out, and we’re prepared to do our duty under the constitution,” he vowed.

Tax records

According to Barbers, Duterte’s defense team should allow the public unsealing of a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box containing her tax records, arguing that “common evidence” should not be feared.

“They should not be afraid of the evidence. If it supports the prosecution’s case, then this piece of evidence must be considered. The court should accept this,” he told radio dzBB.

“To my knowledge, this box is also being accepted by the defense panel as their evidence to counter the prosecution’s allegation. So, this is common evidence,” Barbers added.

The status of the sealed BIR box, which contains the income tax returns of Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, emerged as a point of contention during the pre-trial conference.

The defense proposed that the box only be opened during a closed-door executive session, leading to a standstill where the clerk of court could not formally mark it as evidence.

As a result, the Senate ordered the box returned to the House of Representatives, a decision that Barbers said the House panel “fully respects.”

Barbers described the move as a “temporary setback” but vowed that the prosecution would reintroduce the box once the trial shifts to the specific allegations of unexplained wealth. — Neil Jayson Servallos