The House prosecution panel said it remains ready to proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte despite the unresolved leadership impasse in the Senate.
At a press conference, the 11-member panel said preparations have been completed, including its pre-trial brief, as it continues to work under the timeline earlier released by the Senate impeachment court.
“I wish to share to the Filipino people that the 11 prosecutors are resolved. We will continue to proceed with the impeachment trial. The 11 prosecutors are ready; as a matter of fact, even our pre-trial brief is ready,” lead prosecutor and House Committee on Justice chairperson Gerville Luistro said.
“Sa kabila po ng mga komosyon, irregularidad na nagaganap doon sa Senado ng Republika ng Pilipinas, ang 11 prosecutors po ay hindi natitinag at handang humarap sa papalapit na impeachment trial,” she added.
The panel earlier submitted a manifestation to the Senate explaining why it did not file a reply to Duterte’s answer to the Articles of Impeachment. Prosecutors said the answer did not dispute the material allegations or raise new factual issues that required a response.
Impeachment prosecutor Chel Diokno said Duterte’s submission appeared to seek the immediate dismissal of the case instead of answering the factual allegations.
“Ang ini-expect natin na answer o ‘yung sagot sa Articles of Impeachment ay sasagutin dapat ‘yung mga alegasyon ng mga facts na andun. Pero kung titingnan kasi natin ‘yung naging sagot ni VP ay mukhang ang gusto niya ay ipa-dismiss agad ang kaso,” Diokno said.
“Kaya po hindi na kami nag-file ng reply dahil wala naman bagong factual allegations na kailangang sagutin. Ang kailangan ngayon ay litisin na agad ang kasong ito at kami naman po sa hanay ng prosecution ay handang-handa na magpresenta ng ebidensya,” he added.
Luistro said the prosecution continues to prepare based on the publicized schedule, with the pre-trial conference set on June 18 and the start of trial on July 6.
“We anticipate na June 18 ang 11 prosecutors po ay a-appear sa impeachment court for the first day of pre-trial conference and on July 6 para po sa unang schedule ng trial naman doon sa impeachment court,” she said.
She stressed that the impeachment proceedings are a constitutional duty and should move forward regardless of the current situation in the Senate.
“Rest assured po that the 11 prosecutors are still very much focused on the preparation because we understand that regardless of what is happening in the Senate, ito po’y constitutional duty, there is no option not to proceed. The only option is to proceed, because this is obligatory on the part of the 11 prosecutors,” Luistro said.
The panel is expected to submit its pre-trial brief by June 15. The document will include stipulations and admissions, the list of witnesses, and the marking of exhibits, along with any manifestation the prosecution may raise in relation to the trial.