Quezon city: Two members of the House of Representatives prosecution panel in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte announced on Saturday that the foundation of the case has been effectively laid during the first week of the trial before the Senate.
According to Philippines News Agency, Mamamayang Liberal Party-List Rep. Leila de Lima stated that the initial hearing of the trial witnessed the prosecution panel converting the allegations against Duterte into substantial evidence. "We have concluded the first week of the impeachment trial, during which we saw allegations transforming into evidence -- since every prosecution begins with allegations and ends in proof," she remarked at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
De Lima highlighted that the first week was crucial as the prosecution began turning the allegations outlined in the Articles of Impeachment into evidence that was then challenged and subjected to cross-examination. The first witness, National Bureau of Investigation agent John Mark Calilong, played a pivotal role by authenticating videos of VP Sara containing threats against the President, the First Lady, and the former House Speaker, Martin Romualdez. She emphasized that the conversion of allegations into evidence will be supplemented by other witnesses who will either corroborate the evidence or elucidate the meaning behind those recordings.
Furthermore, De Lima expressed confidence that the authenticity of the video would no longer be disputed by the defense team, as they have utilized portions of the video themselves. "Regarding the issue of authenticity, I noticed that the other party actually showed certain portions of the video as well. That serves as an admission that they did not question the authenticity of the video," she added.
Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno compared the prosecution's role in the impeachment trial to building a house. "As I mentioned before, the prosecution's task is like building a house. Naturally, we cannot build a house without a foundation," he explained. He elaborated that the proceedings of the previous week were about laying the foundational groundwork for the case, particularly concerning the Articles of Impeachment. In the forthcoming weeks, the actual structure of the case would be developed, contrasting the prosecution's constructive role with the defense's demolishing role.
Diokno emphasized the importance of public awareness regarding the impeachment's basis, stating, "We want everyone -- not just the senator-judges but also the viewing public -- to see the actual basis for these articles of impeachment, how they involve violations of our constitution or a betrayal of the public trust." He assured that the prosecution would continue to demonstrate these points in the upcoming weeks for each Article of Impeachment.
