The House prosecution panel said the authenticity of the video at the center of the impeachment charge against Vice President Sara Duterte is no longer in question after the defense used portions of the same recording during cross-examination.
Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, a member of the prosecution panel, said the defense’s reliance on the footage while questioning National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung indicated that it also considered the recording authentic.
“Para sa amin po sa prosecution, wala na pong debate diyan. Parang pinapakita nila na authentic. Bakit sila magpapakita ng portions of the same video kung hindi sila naniniwala na ito ay authentic?” De Lima said.
She clarified, however, that the Senate impeachment court has the final authority to assess and weigh the evidence presented during the proceedings.
“But I could not go further from that because that is already going to the merits of the case,” she added.
Calilung, the prosecution’s first witness, testified during the opening week of the impeachment trial to authenticate video recordings in which Duterte allegedly threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
De Lima said Calilung thoroughly explained the authentication process during his direct examination and maintained his testimony despite extensive questioning from the defense.
“Wala naman pong nabiyak na anumang parte doon sa testimonya ni Agent Calilung kahit po under the crucibles or the test of cross-examination, because the cross-examination is a stress test. And therefore kapag hindi bumibigay ang ebidensya, ay ito ay lalong tumitibay after cross-examination,” she said.
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, spokesperson and adviser to the House prosecution panel, supported De Lima’s position, saying the defense did not challenge the authenticity of the video.
“Sinabi naman po ng kabilang panig na hindi ho nila ni-rebut, dinebunk itong authenticity ng video na ito. In fact, ginamit nila ito sa kanilang pagko-cross doon sa aming witness,” Barbers said.
“And this alone gives the idea na authentic itong video dahil isang video lang ho ‘yung pinag-uusapan, isang video lang ho ‘yung ginamit,” he added.
Barbers said the prosecution’s succeeding witnesses would further discuss the authenticated recordings and the findings of the NBI investigation supporting Article IV of the impeachment complaint.