The House prosecution panel will present officials from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the House of Representatives as among its first witnesses when Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial opens on Monday.
In the prosecution panel’s Manifestation dated July 3, the witnesses lined up for presentation from July 6 to July 8 include:
- Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, NBI-BARMM regional director
- John Mark Calilung, senior agent of the NBI Cyber Investigation and Assessment Center
- Capt. Belinda Bello, executive director of the House Legislative Security Bureau
The witnesses are expected to testify on Impeachment Article I, which details the alleged grave threat and assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“Pag-o-authenticate ng mga video, ’yun po most likely ang mga mangyayari po dito. Ang pinakamatinding ebidensya naman po namin sa threat ay ’yung mismong video,” House prosecutor Rep. Joel Chua said in a "24 Oras Weekend" report by Vonne Aquino on Saturday.
(The authentication of the videos is most likely what will happen here. Our strongest evidence regarding the threat is the video itself.)
Chua said the impeachment court is also expected to resolve four pending motions on Monday, including the unsealing of a box containing the tax records of Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.
The defense panel had earlier agreed to open the box, but only during an executive session — a condition opposed by the prosecution.
“Dahil ito po ay impeachment court na. So parang halimbawa po, sa kaso po ng mga tax evasion, so ’di po ba kapag sa korte nag-issue ng subpoena at sina-subpoena ang BIR para sa mga ITR, di po ba allowed ’yon?” Chua said in a forum.
(Because this is already an impeachment court. For example, in tax evasion cases, when a regular court issues a subpoena to the Bureau of Internal Revenue for income tax returns, isn’t that allowed?)
Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson, however, clarified that the Senate impeachment court cannot rule on the matter, warning that doing so could expose it to possible lawsuits for grave abuse of discretion.
“One of the things we agreed upon in Friday’s senators’ caucus was to return the box because keeping it in our custody will violate the law. It is not the Impeachment Court or any court’s role to unseal it,” Lacson said.
According to Lacson, Section 71 of the National Internal Revenue Code requires written authorization from the President, upon recommendation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Finance, before such tax records may be unsealed.
Chua declined to respond to Lacson’s remarks, saying it was “still premature to comment.”
The Senate impeachment court on Friday issued a notice directing Duterte or her legal counsel to appear at the proceedings, although it remains unclear whether the Vice President will attend the opening day.
“It will not affect how we present or prove our case. We will still present our evidence and call all of our witnesses, regardless of whether she is there or not,” House prosecution panel spokesperson Atty. Jay Tolosa said.
For its part, Malacañang said Duterte should personally attend the trial.
“Noon naman po niya sinabi na she wants bloodbath, at dito mapapakita ano ang kakayanan ng bise presidente upang sumagot sa mga katanungan, o para harapin ang kanyang mga witnesses,” said Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro.
(She previously said she wanted a bloodbath, and this trial will show her ability to answer questions and face the witnesses against her.)
In Aquino’s report, the Clergy for Good Governance, led by Father Robert Reyes, held a march on Saturday ahead of the trial.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office has been placed on heightened alert and is set to deploy 6,000 personnel around the Senate complex on Monday.
“Unang-una po nating ipinagbabawal ay yung pagsusuot ng balaclava… hindi natin kailangang i-conceal ang ating mga identity, huwag din po sana tayong magdala ng mga susunugin or ng mga effigy,” NCRPO spokesperson P/Maj. Hazel Asilo said on Super Radyo dzBB.
(First, we prohibit the wearing of balaclavas. There is no need to conceal our identities. We also ask the public not to bring materials to burn or effigies.)
The NCRPO said supporters would not be allowed in front of the Senate building and reminded demonstrators to refrain from throwing objects to ensure a peaceful and orderly protest.—Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/MCG, GMA News