House prosecutors on Tuesday told the Senate impeachment court they intend to call Vice President Sara Z. Duterte as a hostile witness when they present evidence on Article IV of the impeachment complaint, which accuses her of making grave threats against top government officials.
The issue was raised by Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the House prosecution panel, after Duterte briefly visited the Senate earlier in the day, met with her legal team, addressed reporters, and left without attending the trial.
Before leaving, Duterte made only a brief statement.
“In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed,” she said.
When the hearing resumed, Kapunan asked whether Duterte intended to personally appear before the impeachment court, saying the matter was relevant to the prosecution’s presentation of witnesses.
She noted that the court had directed prosecutors to identify their intended witnesses every Tuesday to allow the issuance of subpoenas when necessary.
Kapunan said the prosecution was presenting Article IV, which centers on Duterte’s alleged public threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
“One of the key witnesses, hostile, would be the Vice President,” Kapunan told the court.
“We are already respectfully informing this Honorable Court that we will manifest that we will have a written request for her presence in connection with this article on grave threats,” she added.
Presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero declined to seek the defense panel’s position, saying he would rule only after a formal motion is filed.
“The impeachment rules do not mandate nor require the respondent to attend any hearing or trial of the impeachment court,” Escudero said.
“Whether she was in the building earlier or arrived after, it is totally up to the respondent because from the point of view of the court, she is represented in this court through her counsel already,” he added.
Escudero said the court would act on any request to compel Duterte’s appearance only after prosecutors formally file the appropriate motion, giving the defense an opportunity to respond.
Kapunan accepted the ruling but emphasized that the prosecution was reserving its right to compel Duterte’s testimony.
“With that, we will reserve the right. We are not waiving the right to call her at the appropriate time and to file the appropriate request for subpoena duces tecum and subpoena testificandum,” she said.