MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Terry Ridon, House of Representatives' prosecutor, filed his verified answer before the Senate Impeachment Court following a show-cause order over his public statements during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In the pleading shared Friday, Ridon maintained that his statements were made in the course of his work as a member of the House prosecution panel and were intended to keep the public informed about the progress of the impeachment proceedings.
He said he distinguished between reporting what happened during the proceedings, explaining procedural developments and the prosecution’s presentation, and commenting on matters reserved for the Impeachment Court.
Ridon also denied any intention to prejudge the case or influence the senator-judges.
“Rep. Ridon never intended to prejudge the case, influence the Senator-Judges, substitute public discussion for the evidence and arguments properly presented before the Honorable Court, or diminish the authority of the Honorable Court to determine the merits of the impeachment case,” his answer read.
The prosecutor acknowledged the court’s authority to determine the limits of public discussion surrounding the case. He said he would take guidance from the show-cause order and comply with the standards set by the court in his future public statements.
Questions involving the admissibility, relevance, credibility and weight of evidence, as well as the merits of the impeachment case, belong to the Impeachment Court, Ridon said.
He asked the court to consider his verified answer sufficient compliance with the show-cause order and said he would await its resolution.
