VICE President Sara Duterte is expected to attend her impeachment trial before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court when proceedings begin on July 6, her lawyer said Tuesday.
In an interview, Michael Poa confirmed that the vice president would appear before the impeachment court if necessary. This clarification contradicts earlier reports that suggested she would not attend the proceedings and would only be represented by her legal team.
Poa said Duterte remains prepared to participate in the trial as required under the impeachment process.
The impeachment trial can legally proceed with or without her presence. If she opts not to appear before the Senate impeachment court to enter a plea, the court will simply enter a plea of “not guilty” on her behalf. Duterte is being represented by a 16-member legal panel from the Fortun Narvasa & Salazar law firm.
As preparations for the trial continue, Poa said both the defense and prosecution have been engaged in pre-trial proceedings focused on the marking and identification of documentary evidence.
“The process has been orderly since the first day of the pre-trial conference last Thursday,” he said. “We are hopeful of completing the pre-trial soon, but there are a lot of documents, which is normal for a case of this nature.” Poa noted that the pre-trial conference could extend beyond Wednesday and continue through the original schedule later this week due to the volume of records being reviewed.
He explained that the marking of documentary evidence is a crucial phase designed to ensure the smooth and orderly conduct of the impeachment trial.
“This is for identification purposes. During the trial, the parties will simply refer to these documents as exhibits, making proceedings more efficient,” Poa said.
The defense has opted to separately mark its own documents even when some may overlap with those submitted by the prosecution.
“Their documents are theirs and our documents are ours,” Poa said. “We are being very careful with the way we do things because these are the documents we will use during the course of the trial. Both sides understand that.” Poa also addressed concerns raised over the prosecution’s witness list and reports that some witnesses may mirror or adopt testimonies from others.
According to the defense counsel, each side independently submitted its pre-trial brief, identifying witnesses and documentary evidence it intends to present.
“It is well within the prerogative of each party to identify and present the witnesses they would like to call,” he said, adding that the defense is prepared to respond to any motions or manifestations that may be filed by the prosecution regarding witnesses.
He likewise defended the decision of both sides to reserve certain witnesses whose identities have not yet been publicly disclosed, citing security concerns.
“We also have reserved witnesses whom we did not name for their security,” Poa said.
At the same time, he emphasized the defense’s support for timely disclosure of witnesses and the order of presentation to allow all parties — including senator-judges — to adequately prepare for the proceedings.
“We asked for disclosure of the order of trial and the witnesses who will testify first and next. If there is a rule requiring disclosure within a certain period, we have no problem complying with it,” he said.
The impeachment trial of Duterte is scheduled to begin on July 6.
Preparations for the trial continue as the Senate impeachment court moves toward completing pre-trial proceedings.
According to Senate impeachment court Clerk of Court Renato Bantug Jr., the pre-trial conference involving Duterte’s defense panel and the House prosecution team is expected to conclude this week, paving the way for the issuance of a pre-trial order.
Bantug said the Senate impeachment court aims to finalize and submit the pre-trial order to the presiding officer on June 25, following the completion of the pre-trial conference.
“The target is to submit the pre-trial order to the presiding officer on June 25,” Bantug said, noting that discussions may continue if all matters are not resolved within the scheduled timeframe.
Public prosecutors in the impeachment trial have asked the Senate impeachment court to adopt additional measures as the marking of evidence continues in the pre-trial proceedings, noting the “voluminous” documents that are still being processed by both the prosecution and the defense.
During a press briefing at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, House lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said their team is seeking additional exhibit-marking teams and extra working days to review the thousands of documents linked to the confidential funds of the vice president.
“I wish to share that indeed, the documents for confidential fund are really voluminous. As a matter of fact, the prosecutors have expressed their uncertainties as to whether the marking will be finished by Thursday,” Luistro said.
Luistro said that they have proposed to Senate Secretary Renato Bantug, through House Secretary-General Cheloy Garafil, to extend the marking of exhibits to Friday and Saturday, as well as increasing the number of marking teams from four to as many as eight.
