The House prosecution panel has requested additional days to complete the marking of documentary exhibits in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, citing the volume of evidence as a key factor slowing pre-trial work.
Lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said they have asked the Senate Secretariat to extend the pre-trial proceedings until Saturday to allow sufficient time for exhibit marking and related procedures.
The request comes as both prosecution and defense continue the labor-intensive process of identifying and marking thousands of documents ahead of the July 6 trial start.
Rep. Luistro said the prosecution is now on its third day of marking exhibits, with a significant portion involving confidential funds-related records.
“The documents for confidential fund is really voluminous,” she said, noting that the current schedule may not be enough to complete the process by Thursday.
She said four teams have been assigned to handle exhibit marking—one for unexplained wealth and three focused on confidential fund documents—but the workload remains substantial.
Rep. Luistro added that the prosecution has coordinated with Senate officials to explore ways to expedite proceedings while preserving the July 6 trial schedule.
Chua said the panel is considering adding more working groups and extending marking sessions into Friday and Saturday, subject to approval.
“We are contemplating adding more teams and additional dates,” he said, noting that weekend work is being considered due to the volume of materials.
Rep. Luistro estimated the evidence includes around 1,900 Department of Education payment documents and more than 2,000 from the Office of the Vice President still to be processed.
She said the process is further slowed by the requirement for both sides to separately mark and verify documents before they are formally entered into the record.
The prosecution is also finalizing positions on procedural matters, including witness disclosure rules, participation guidelines for prosecutors, and the possible early opening of a Bureau of Internal Revenue evidence box, subject to court approval.
Rep. Luistro said the panel may file a formal manifestation within the week as discussions continue on these issues.