The House prosecution panel is set to present three more witnesses next week as it continues laying down evidence in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
House prosecutor and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor confirmed the witness schedule before the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday.
When the trial resumes on Monday, July 13, the prosecution will first present Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, regional director of the National Bureau of Investigation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Former Office of the Vice President chief of staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez is scheduled to testify on Tuesday, while Capt. Belinda Bello, executive director of the House of Representatives Legislative Security Bureau, is expected to take the witness stand on Wednesday.
“For Monday, Your Honors, we will be presenting Atty. Jeremy Lotoc. For Tuesday, we will be presenting Atty. Zuleika Lopez. And for Wednesday, our third witness, we will be presenting Capt. Belinda Bello,” Defensor said.
Defensor clarified that NBI Director Melvin Matibag is not yet part of the initial lineup for next week.
“Not yet, Your Honor. We will manifest on Monday if we can consider him for the Wednesday session depending on how the trial goes or how long the testimonies will take for both parties,” he told Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the presiding officer of the impeachment court.
Following the prosecution’s manifestation, Escudero ordered the issuance of subpoenas for the witnesses scheduled to appear from July 13 to 15.
The prosecution earlier said it intends to use all 11 trial days allotted for the presentation of evidence under Article IV of the impeachment complaint.
Article IV accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust over alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Next week’s hearings will follow the two-day testimony of NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who laid the evidentiary foundation for the prosecution’s case under Article IV.
Calilung identified the authenticated video and transcript of Duterte’s November 23, 2024 livestream, screenshots taken from the recording, and official statements issued by government agencies in response to her remarks.
He also explained the NBI’s digital forensic procedures in identifying, collecting, preserving, and verifying electronic evidence.
Lotoc is expected to testify on the NBI’s findings related to Duterte’s alleged statement that she had hired an assassin to kill the President, the First Lady, and the former Speaker if she herself were killed.
Lopez is expected to discuss the events surrounding her detention by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, as well as the circumstances that preceded Duterte’s November 23, 2024 livestream.
Bello is expected to testify on the implementation of the House committee order transferring Lopez to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.