House prosecution securing evidence, witnesses vs. VP Sara

House impeachment trial spokesperson and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co during a House Committee on Justice hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte on May 4, 2026. (Courtesy: House of Representatives/Screenshot)

While waiting for the pre-trial proceedings of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment to start, the prosecution panel is securing its evidence and witnesses, according to House trial spokesperson and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co.

Co pointed out that aside from conducting mock trials, the 11-member panel is pre-marking evidence to establish during the pre-trial proceedings—including laying down all pieces of evidence against Duterte—as well as evidence that may surface during the trial proper.

“There will be marking of evidence, in the sense, whatever the prosecution and defense have,” Co, a lawyer, told a dzMM interview.

During the pre-trial proper, the prosecution panel and the vice president’s defense team would establish the common facts of the case related to the allegations cited in the Articles of Impeachment.

“There could be common facts that they would agree on between the prosecution and defense. There are common facts to be proven during the trial proper to be able to establish a conclusion of law,” said Co.

There would be instances when the two parties would clash on what actually happened, she added. This is further compounded by the vice president’s non-answer when she filed her response to the impeachment complaints against her.

Co said the prosecution panel is also considering inviting hostile witnesses—individuals who display strong opposition against one side and may potentially have interests adverse to those of the lawyers who called them.

Since hostile witnesses could serve as a double-edged sword, Co said the prosecution panel is still weighing the pros and cons of this legal strategy before finalizing its list of witnesses to present during trial.

What is certain, however, is that the witnesses to be invited should maintain the narrative they testified to in congressional hearings or in sworn affidavits, she said.

While the Senate leadership remains unpredictable, with another ouster anticipated, Co said the impeachment trial’s schedule should not be affected. The Filipino people should remain vigilant as the trial should be conducted forthwith, she added. — Rio N. Araja