By Jose Cielito Reganit
MANILA – House prosecution panel adviser and spokesperson Ace Barbers on Tuesday warned the defense of Vice President Sara Duterte against using an avalanche of witnesses, repetitive testimonies, and political distractions to prolong the impeachment proceedings and evade the central questions confronting the respondent under Article II of the impeachment complaint.
“The defense has every right to present its evidence. But the right to defend must not become a license to delay, distract, and drown out the truth. The Filipino people are entitled to a fair and decisive proceeding — not an endless parade of witnesses designed to exhaust the court and test the public’s patience,” Barbers said in a news release.
He stressed that the impeachment trial must not become a contest over which side can consume the most hearing time.
If the defense intends to call numerous witnesses, it must demonstrate that their testimonies are relevant, material and capable of helping the impeachment court determine the truth, he said.
“Repetition is not proof, political rhetoric is not evidence, and a long witness list is no substitute for a credible explanation of the matters under scrutiny,” Barbers pointed out.
“Let us be clear: this is not a numbers game. The issue is not how many witnesses the defense can put on the stand, but what those witnesses can actually establish. But if the strategy is to recycle arguments, attack personalities, and divert attention from the evidence, the senator-judges and the public will see through it,” he said.
The former Surigao del Norte lawmaker also cautioned against any attempt to use the remaining proceedings to reopen the political battle over withdrawn impeachment articles without regard to the court’s rulings.
He said the defense is entitled to challenge the prosecution’s case within the rules, but neither side should be permitted to use the proceedings to circumvent the court’s established limits.
“If the defense has a legitimate explanation, let it put that explanation on the record and support it with verifiable evidence. If it believes the prosecution made errors, identify those errors and prove them. But do not confuse delay with a defense, repetition with corroboration, or political noise with an answer. The public deserves substance, not smoke screens,” Barbers said.
He also called on the impeachment court to exercise firm and even-handed control over the proceedings by ensuring that witness testimony remains relevant, repetitive presentations are managed appropriately, and hearing time is used efficiently without prejudicing either side’s right to a fair hearing.
“No one should be convicted by political pressure, and no one should escape accountability through delay. This trial must not be held hostage by a war of attrition. Let the evidence speak, let the rules prevail, and let the senator-judges do their duty. The Filipino people deserve nothing less than a fair, focused, and timely determination of the case,” Barbers said. (PNA)
