A former solon criticized the defense panel for attempting to “dig holes” in the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jimmy Lotoc and the documents submitted to the Senate Impeachment Court.
House prosecution adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers, a former representative of Surigao del Sur, said the defense’s strategy only strengthened the prosecution’s case under Article IV, which involves allegations of grave threats.
He said the defense appeared to be concentrating on minor details because it could not disprove the central facts presented by the prosecution.
“Instead of breaking down the main story, the defense’s aggressive questions only proved that the prosecution team’s legal arguments are solid,” he said.
He maintained that Filipinos want a substantive discussion on accountability, not legal maneuvering that could delay the proceedings.
The former solon expressed confidence that the senator-judges would look beyond what he described as distractions and evaluate the case based on the evidence.
He said the prosecution would remain focused on presenting a clear sequence of events supporting the charges.
“Kung nakita natin kahapon na hindi nila nagawa yun, I cannot expect anything more than what they did yesterday. Ibig sabihin baka ganun pa rin yung kanilang mga pagtatanong,” he said.
He added that the defense could struggle to confront succeeding witnesses if it continued to focus on technical matters instead of the substance of the case.
Barbers stressed that the Filipino people deserve a clear and honest trial that directly examines the alleged misconduct of public officials.