House prosecutors reiterated that their primary focus remains on building and presenting a solid evidentiary case before the Senate Impeachment Court, following its recent decision regarding the voting threshold for Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial.
House Lead Prosecutor and Batangas Representative Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro emphasized that the trial process is far from over, noting that the prosecution still has several articles and key witnesses to present before the impeachment court eventually renders its verdict.
“We are not even done with unexplained wealth, mayroon pa kaming natitirang article that is bribery. After that it will be the turn of the defense to present their evidence and that’s the only time that the impeachment court will be deciding on the conviction or with the acquittal of the respondent Vice President,” Luistro said.
The prosecution team is preparing for the defense’s cross-examination of Rendell Sopeña, the E-Government Procurement Operations Division chief of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS). Sopeña previously testified that GenCorp Industries Inc.—a firm listed in Vice President Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN)—secured 49 contracts totaling ₱36 million with PhilHealth Region XI, OWWA Region XI, and the Davao City government during her tenure as Vice President.
Luistro outlined upcoming prosecution witnesses, including Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, the Vice President’s brother, who will be called as a hostile witness. Mayor Duterte is slated to testify regarding the Davao City local government’s contracts with GenCorp, which accounted for P34.2 million or 95 percent of the firm’s total contracts. Additional witnesses include a representative from PhilHealth Region XI and an official from the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO), who will testify regarding allegedly undeclared firearms belonging to the Vice President and her husband, Manases Carpio.
“I have so much respect for all the members of the impeachment court. Alam kong pinag-aaralan nila itong mabuti to be able to come up with their fair and impartial judgment come the time that they cast their vote,” Luistro noted.
Echoing Luistro’s statements, House Prosecutor and Bicol Saro Partylist Representative Terry Ridon underscored that the prosecution’s mandate is to present clear evidence rather than calculate prospective Senate votes.
“Hindi naman kami nandito para magbilang ng boto, we are not vote counters here. Kami ilalatag namin yung mga ebidensya tungkol dito sa Articles of Impeachment ng Vice President,” Ridon said.
“Pero kung ano yung abutin ng boto, if this is sufficient to convict, then we will abide by what the votes will be. Pero syempre, gusto namin yung talagang biggest number of votes at that point. So whether it’s 16 or lower, bahala na ang mga senator judges to make that determination. Basta kami, we will deliver the evidence in each and every article,” he added.