MANILA, Philippines — Proceedings in the case against former president Rodrigo Duterte focused on witness management and trial efficiency, with the Trial Chamber III presiding judge indicating that the court would adopt a flexible approach to time allocation while stressing the importance of structured presentation of evidence.
Judge Joanna Korner said during Wednesday's case status conference that specific time limits for individual witnesses would be addressed at a later stage, but emphasized that the chamber would generally work on the basis of overall estimates rather than imposing strict time controls per witness.
The prosecution has indicated it expected to call around 60 to 70 witnesses, including approximately 30 insider witnesses, based on its submissions to the court. The defense did not dispute the figures during the hearing, saying it would rely on earlier filings on the matter.
A central issue raised by the bench was how witness testimony would be sequenced during the trial. Korner pointed to difficulties encountered in a previous trial, where witnesses linked to the same incident were called months apart, a practice she said risked producing inconsistencies that might otherwise have been identified earlier in the proceedings.
To avoid similar issues, she urged the prosecution to present witnesses relating to the same incidents consecutively, noting that gaps in sequencing could affect the coherence and reliability of the evidence as a whole.
She said the court would prefer a more continuous presentation of incident-specific testimony, allowing related accounts to be examined in close succession rather than being spread out over extended periods.
The prosecution acknowledged the concern, saying it would take the guidance into account in organizing its witness schedule, while also noting that the structure of the case involved multiple discrete incidents with relatively fewer witnesses per event.
