House prosecutors claim Day 2 victory with presentation of evidence

MANILA – House impeachment prosecutors said Tuesday they are claiming victory after Day 2 of the Senate impeachment trial, citing the continued presentation of evidence and the overruling of several defense objections.

In a press briefing after the hearing adjourned, trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong said the prosecution sees the day as a win because the trial continued and evidence was shown to the public.

“It’s very clear now that we’re, sabi ko ngayon hindi pa tapos itong araw na ito (I say now though the day is not yet over), but we’re claiming victory because all the motions that were raised by the defense, most of them were overruled,” Adiong said.

He said the prosecution had already begun showing the public the evidence behind the impeachment case.

“We have already shown to the public what evidence we have,” Adiong said.

“Ultimately, nakita ng taumbayan ngayon na habang tumutuloy itong impeachment trial, very clear na talagang lumalabas at lumalakas ‘yung panawagan ng prosecution na ipakita sa taumbayan yung katotohanan (the people saw that as the impeachment trial moves on, it is very clear that the call of the prosecution to show to the people the truth is coming out and getting stronger),” he added.

Public prosecutor Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro Party-list said the prosecution’s standard for success is not a tally of objections, but whether evidence is presented.

“Wala kaming tally sheet kung sino ‘yung na-reject yung objection, sino ‘yung na-sustain ‘yung objection, sino ‘yung na-utal (We have no tally sheet on how many objections were rejected, sustained or sputtered),” Ridon said. “Kasi ang mahalaga naman po rito, ‘yung pagpapalabas mismo ng ebidensya either ng prosecution or nung depensa (Because what is important here is the presentation of evidence either by the prosecution or the defense).”

Ridon said the key litigation metric is whether evidence is admitted and witness examination proceeds.

“So malaking tagumpay po ngayon (So, today is a big victory),” he added.

Objections expected

Meanwhile, Ridon said the defense’s objections were expected.

“Marami mga objections doon halos paulit-ulit (Many of the objections were repeated). But I think that is the job of the lawyer to do,” he said.

He said the defense may pursue its chosen trial strategy, but the impeachment court will ultimately decide whether objections stand.

“Malaya naman sila (They are free) to implement whichever trial strategy and tactics they would want to undertake. Pero siyempre (But) they will have to contend with the reality of the court as well that objections will ultimately have to be sustained or will have to be overruled,” Ridon said.

“There will be a series of overruled objections by the defense panel,” he added.

Adiong said Day 2 showed the defense’s effort to prevent the court from fully appreciating the prosecution’s evidence.

“Nakita din natin kung anong strategy ng (We also saw that the strategy of the) defense is actually to mute the evidence or to do anything that they can technically not to allow the court to appreciate the evidence,” he said.

Ridon said the court allowed the prosecution to present portions of video evidence while preserving the defense’s right to present its own case, reflecting the court’s position that each party should decide how to present evidence.

“Our understanding there is the Senate impeachment court does not want to intrude on the freedom of the parties to decide kung paano nila isasampa yung mga ebidensya (on how to present the evidence),” he said.

He said the prosecution remains focused on showing why the witness testimony matters to the case.

— Jose Cielito Reganit (PNA)