Photo credit: Isidro Ungab

Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab is calling for the release of the complete interview of Vice President Sara Duterte, arguing that the public deserves to hear the full context instead of repeatedly seeing only a two-minute excerpt.

In a statement, Ungab questioned why only a short portion of the nearly two-hour interview has been widely circulated in news reports, social media, and discussions surrounding the case. He asked why the remaining 118 minutes have not been made public if the evidence is strong.

The lawmaker cited the "Rule of Completeness" under Section 17, Rule 132 of the Revised Rules on Evidence, which states that when one party presents only part of a statement, conversation, or record as evidence, the opposing party has the right to have the rest of the same subject considered for proper context.

Ungab maintained that a person's intent, tone, and purpose can only be fairly understood by looking at the entire conversation rather than selected clips. He also warned that isolated portions of a recording could create a misleading impression if viewed without the full context.

He urged authorities, the media, and those handling the case to release the complete interview and present the entire recording before the court. According to Ungab, allowing the public to examine the full interview would help ensure that opinions are formed based on the complete facts rather than edited excerpts.

The congressman said that in a democracy, truth should be established through the full context of a statement, not just selected portions, emphasizing that transparency and due process must prevail.