The House prosecution panel said it is preparing for the next stages of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case after filing its manifestation before the Senate impeachment court.
The 11-member team said it remains ready to proceed to pre-trial and trial despite the unresolved leadership dispute in the Senate.
At a press conference, members of the prosecution panel said the filing effectively closes their response to Duterte’s answer to the Articles of Impeachment and shifts their work toward trial preparation.
“Sa kabila po ng mga komosyon, iregularidad na nagaganap doon sa Senado ng Republika ng Pilipinas, ang labing-isang prosecutors po ay hindi natitinag at handa humarap sa papalapit na impeachment trial,” lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said.
She said the panel is preparing based on the timeline earlier made public by the Senate, which set the pre-trial conference on June 18 and the first trial date on July 6.
“We anticipate na June 18, ang 11 prosecutors po ay a-appear sa impeachment court for the first day of pre-trial conference, at July 6 para sa unang schedule ng trial,” she pointed out.
She said preparations are already underway, with the pre-trial brief completed and ready for submission by June 15. The document includes the stipulation of facts, list of witnesses, pieces of evidence, and testimonies to be presented during trial.
“June 15 is the deadline for the filing of pre-trial brief,” Luistro said. “After that, we will appear before the impeachment court for the pre-trial conference on June 18.”
However, she noted that the Senate impeachment court has yet to issue formal notices for the scheduled pre-trial conference, leaving the timetable uncertain amid the continuing leadership conflict in the upper chamber.
“Nonetheless, our preparation is aligned to the timeline that was publicized by the Senate,” she averred.
House trial spokesperson and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co said the next phase is crucial because it will allow both sides to present their positions before the impeachment court.
“Simple lang naman ang panawagan natin: to move forward, we need closure,” Co said. “At para magkaclosure, kailangan ng sagot.”
“Hindi po normal at hindi po dapat gawing normal na walang sagot. So hinihintay natin ang paglilitis para makita na natin with finality ano po yung mga depensa at syempre paano po tayo magmomove forward sa proseso ng pananagutan,” she added.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said the prosecution team found no need to respond point by point to Duterte’s answer because it did not raise new factual matters and instead sought the dismissal of the impeachment case through procedural, constitutional, and jurisdictional arguments.
“Kung titignan kasi natin ‘yung naging sagot ni vice president ay mukhang ang gusto niya ay ipadismiss agad ang kaso. Hindi pupwede ‘yun dahil syempre kailangan mauna ang paglilitis o ‘yung trial ng kaso bago magkaroon ng paghahatol o pagpapasya ng ating Senado bilang impeachment court,” he said.
He stressed that the impeachment trial is the proper venue to examine the allegations, present evidence, and allow the Senate impeachment court to make a judgment.