House prosecutors said their first witness established the evidentiary foundation for the grave threat charge against Vice President Sara Duterte, with succeeding testimony expected to explain and strengthen the digital evidence already presented before the Senate impeachment court.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno said the opening week of the trial focused on building the base of the prosecution’s case.
“Ang trabaho ng prosecution ay parang magtatayo kami ng bahay. Hindi naman tayo pwedeng magtayo ng bahay kung walang pundasyon,” Diokno said during a media forum.
The prosecution opened its presentation with National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who testified on the authenticity of video recordings central to Article IV of the impeachment complaint.
The article concerns Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024 statements involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“‘Yung nangyari nitong unang linggo ng ating paglilitis ay mismo ‘yung paglalagay ng pundasyon sa kaso,” Diokno said.
“Itong mga darating na linggo, ang makikita natin, ‘yung bahay na mismo ang itatayo,” he added.
Diokno said the prosecution aimed not only to persuade the senator-judges but also to help the public understand the factual and constitutional basis of the charge.
“Ang purpose syempre noon ay makita ng lahat, hindi lang naman yung mga senator-judge, kundi pati ang nanonood na publiko, kung ano ba talaga ang basehan, kung bakit ba may ganitong Articles of Impeachment, at bakit umaabot siya doon sa paglabag sa ating Konstitusyon o pagtataksil sa tiwala na binigay ng mamamayan sa ating mga leader,” he said.
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, spokesperson and adviser to the prosecution panel, said Calilung fulfilled the specific task assigned to him by authenticating the recordings.
“Ang witness na ipinakilala at ipinakita dito sa trial na ito ay ang nag-lay out ng foundation,” Barbers said.
He said the next witnesses would build on that testimony by explaining the relevance of the recordings and presenting the findings of the NBI investigation.
“Ang mga subsequent witnesses and evidence that will be presented will definitely give more strength doon sa kaso na inilatag,” Barbers said.
Barbers identified NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc as one of the prosecution’s next witnesses.
Lotoc is expected to testify about the bureau’s investigation and explain how the authenticated recordings support the prosecution’s case.