SCREENGRAB FROM CONGRESS PH

The House prosecution panel on Monday emphasized that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is not a criminal proceeding aimed at sending her to prison, but a constitutional process to determine whether she remains fit to hold public office.

Speaking at a press briefing, House prosecution adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers said the public should understand the distinction between impeachment and a criminal case, particularly as the Senate impeachment court continues hearing Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment.

"Hindi ito parang criminal case kung saan yung elements of the crime ay mapapatunayan sa korte at kapag ito napatunayan, ika'y makukulong," Barbers said.

He explained that under Article XI of the 1987 Constitution, an impeachment judgment is limited to removing a public official from office and, if warranted, disqualifying that official from holding public office in the future. Any criminal liability, he said, must be resolved separately through the regular justice system.

"Itong impeachment process, walang kulong, kundi yung pagtatanggal lang sa opisina," Barbers added.

According to Barbers, the Senate's role is to determine whether the evidence presented by both sides shows that the Vice President's actions are consistent with the standards expected of a high-ranking public official.

He noted that the Constitution declares public office as a public trust and identifies betrayal of public trust as one of the grounds for impeaching the President, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court, constitutional commissioners, and the Ombudsman.

"Hindi ba dapat kapag mataas ang pwesto mo sa gobyerno, mas mataas ang panuntunan, mas mataas ang standards of you being in that office?" he said.

Barbers said the prosecution aims to show that the evidence presented before the impeachment court raises questions about whether Duterte should continue serving in office.

"Ito ay proseso kung saan tini-test ang fitness ng ating opisyal sa gobyerno kung karapat-dapat silang manatili sa kanilang pwesto," he said.

The House prosecution also reiterated that it is concentrating on building its case instead of engaging in debates over how many votes are needed to secure a conviction in the Senate.

Barbers said the panel is leaving discussions on the impeachment conviction threshold to legal experts and lawmakers while prosecutors focus on presenting evidence supporting the Articles of Impeachment.

"Well, maraming schools of thought, maraming opinion na lumalabas tungkol dito sa threshold na ito, and the prosecution is not involved in the political arithmetic, so to speak," Barbers said.

Private prosecutor and House legal spokesperson Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. echoed the same position, saying the prosecution's priority has always been to establish a strong case before the impeachment court.

"Well at this time, our position on this is consistent from the very start, we don't engage in vote counting. Today ang priority namin dito is to establish an airtight case. Siguraduhin natin ang kaso natin, this will be backed by solid evidence," Tolosa said.

House trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong also said the ongoing debate over the conviction threshold highlights the importance of the impeachment proceedings.

"I think 'yung issue ng threshold is an indication how important this impeachment trial to the public is," Adiong said.

The prosecution maintained that questions regarding the required number of votes to convict should not distract from the Senate's primary task of evaluating the evidence presented during the trial.

The Senate impeachment court is currently hearing Article IV of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Duterte of making grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Proceedings are expected to continue this week as both the prosecution and defense present additional witnesses and evidence.