Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said the pretrial brief and pretrial conference in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial would be crucial in showing how her camp planned to answer the accusations against her.
Luistro, who heads the House prosecution team, said in an online interview Wednesday that the proceedings scheduled by the Senate impeachment court on June 15 and 18 could give prosecutors and the public their first look at Duterte’s evidence and witnesses.
She said Duterte’s side had not yet directly addressed the substance of the impeachment allegations, making the pretrial stage important for determining whether the defense would finally present documents or testimony.
According to Luistro, Duterte’s camp had not disclosed any evidence or named any witnesses from the 19th Congress proceedings, the House justice committee hearings, or even in its answer before the impeachment court.
The prosecution team earlier filed a manifestation before the Senate impeachment court instead of a reply to Duterte’s answer, saying no reply was necessary because the Vice President’s lawyers focused on procedural and constitutional arguments rather than the material allegations.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesperson of the prosecution panel, had said Duterte appeared to have offered no direct defense to the articles of impeachment and had instead relied on arguments seeking the dismissal of the case.
Luistro said Adiong’s observation was understandable because Duterte’s camp had not presented evidence to rebut the accusations, although she said she would reserve judgment until the pretrial brief and conference were completed.
Duterte was impeached after 257 House members voted to adopt the articles of impeachment, which accused her of offenses involving alleged misuse of Php 500 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President, Php 112.5 million under the Department of Education, unexplained wealth, alleged payments to DepEd officials, and alleged threats against President Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and a former House speaker.