The closed-door pre-trial conference in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte is intended not only to streamline proceedings but also to safeguard potential witnesses from both the prosecution and defense.
House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the arrangement is aimed at improving efficiency while minimizing unnecessary delays in the pre-trial process.
The Senate impeachment court continues the pre-trial proceedings following the initial closed-door conference held on June 18, with both the prosecution and defense panels in attendance ahead of the scheduled July 6 start of the trial.
“So far ‘yan ang alam natin. It’s a continuation of what they have started yesterday,” Adiong said.
He said the court has opted to keep the proceedings closed unless it decides otherwise.
“So obviously that’s going to be the cooling pa no unless of course the impeachment court decides otherwise to let others to cover the pre-trial conference,” he said.
Adiong added that the closed-door setup is intended to keep discussions focused and prevent delays or distractions.
“Kasi ang alam ko ang gusto din nila mas efficient ang pag uusapan para hindi masyado madelay pa at saka hindi masyadong magkaroon pa ng unnecessary distraction,” he noted.
“So I think that’s the reason why they wanted it to be closed door,” he added.
He also cited the need to protect potential witnesses as another key reason for limiting public access to the proceedings.
“At the same time, ‘yung safety din ‘yung magiging possible na mga witnesses na may co-produce ng both defense and prosecution,” he stressed.
Adiong said both sides have agreed to submit comments after initial disagreements over proposed stipulations on the first day of pre-trial.
“Well, una nag agree naman both sides no, dahil nagkaroon ng kauting disagreements doon sa propose stipulations na agree naman sila as directed by the court na mag submit na sila ng comments no,” he explained.
He added that the marking of evidence has already begun, with at least one article of impeachment partially covered before the proceedings continue.
“And then at the same time tapos na rin iyong kung hindi po nag kakamali is yung Article 3 or 4 ‘yung marking of evidence,” he said.
The prosecution is awaiting the continuation of the evidence marking process.
“So we are just waiting for the continuation sa Monday ng marking of evidence,” he added.
He said the next phase of the pre-trial will also include discussions on the proposed trial schedule, including the number of hearing days to be allotted by both sides and the Senate.
“Doon na rin mapag-usapan kung ano ang magiging proposed trial schedule from both sides,” he said.
“Kung ilan ang araw nandire-request ng both panels, kung ilang araw ang i-allocate ng Senado para doon sa actual na trial,” he added.
Adiong noted that both sides are also expected to submit proposed or agreed stipulations ahead of the June 22 deadline.
“So we’re just waiting for the continuation of the marking of evidence and also the submission of the you know stipulation proposed stipulation in probably the agreed stipulation before June 22 because June 22 would be the deadline,” he said.
He confirmed that the initial notice from the impeachment court still sets July 6 as the start of the trial proper.
“Ah sa initial po na date indicated in the notice is July 6 ang umpisa po ng trial no, this is based on the notice we received from the honorable court,” he said.