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Advocates Philippines
House Team Preps Evidence, Eyes 'Hostile Witnesses' In Sara Trial
Photo credit: Renee Co
The House prosecution panel handling the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte is now preparing evidence and reviewing possible witnesses ahead of the expected pre-trial proceedings in the Senate impeachment court.
House trial spokesperson Renee Co said the 11-member prosecution team has started pre-marking evidence while also conducting mock trial exercises to strengthen its presentation once the proceedings begin.
According to Co, prosecutors are currently organizing and listing all evidence that may be presented during the impeachment trial, including possible additional documents or testimonies that could emerge later on.
“Magkakaroon po ng marking of evidence in the sense na kung ano man ‘yung hawak na ebidensya ng prosecution at defense, inalatag ‘yan, enumerate nila,” she said in an interview with dzMM Saturday.
“May pre-marking ang tawag nila doon na gagawin ang maaari silang mag-reserve ng right to present additional evidence kung lumabas,” she added.
Co explained that the pre-trial stage will allow both the prosecution panel and Duterte’s defense team to identify common facts connected to the impeachment complaints and determine which issues still need to be proven during the actual trial.
“May bahagi na pwede silang mag-agree sa common facts na panghawakan ng prosecution at defense. May common facts na ang gawain nila ay ipo-prove nila sa trial proper para ma-establish ‘yung conclusion of law na gusto nilang ipakita,” she said.
She added that disagreements between both camps over certain facts are expected, especially after the vice president reportedly gave what the prosecution considers a non-answer in her response to the impeachment complaints.
Aside from evidence preparation, Co said the prosecution panel is also studying the possibility of presenting “hostile witnesses” during the proceedings. These are witnesses who may not be supportive of the side calling them to testify.
“Tinitignan natin na maaari natin i-call to the stand siya. So naghahanda din tayo ano ‘yung mga kalakip na gawain para ma-call sila, mapanawagan na ito ‘yung mga tanong na dapat sagutin, paano mag-impeach ng isang hostile witnesses if necessary,” she said.
However, Co admitted that calling hostile witnesses could be risky and said prosecutors are still weighing the advantages and disadvantages before finalizing their witness list.
She stressed that witnesses invited by the prosecution should remain consistent with testimonies they previously gave during congressional hearings or in sworn affidavits.
Despite ongoing political tensions inside the Senate, including talks of another leadership shakeup, Co said the impeachment proceedings should continue without disruption.
“Ang Senado hindi dapat makaapekto sa proseso ng pananagutan. Kahit sino naman nandyan, dapat makita natin na magtuloy-tuloy ‘yung paglilitis at proseso. Pero sa bahagi ng mamamayan, nakikita natin natural na may agam-agam,” she said.
The Senate officially convened as an impeachment court on May 18 and is eyeing the start of pre-trial proceedings on July 6, about a month after Duterte is expected to formally answer the Articles of Impeachment.
House trial spokesperson Renee Co said the 11-member prosecution team has started pre-marking evidence while also conducting mock trial exercises to strengthen its presentation once the proceedings begin.
According to Co, prosecutors are currently organizing and listing all evidence that may be presented during the impeachment trial, including possible additional documents or testimonies that could emerge later on.
“Magkakaroon po ng marking of evidence in the sense na kung ano man ‘yung hawak na ebidensya ng prosecution at defense, inalatag ‘yan, enumerate nila,” she said in an interview with dzMM Saturday.
“May pre-marking ang tawag nila doon na gagawin ang maaari silang mag-reserve ng right to present additional evidence kung lumabas,” she added.
Co explained that the pre-trial stage will allow both the prosecution panel and Duterte’s defense team to identify common facts connected to the impeachment complaints and determine which issues still need to be proven during the actual trial.
“May bahagi na pwede silang mag-agree sa common facts na panghawakan ng prosecution at defense. May common facts na ang gawain nila ay ipo-prove nila sa trial proper para ma-establish ‘yung conclusion of law na gusto nilang ipakita,” she said.
She added that disagreements between both camps over certain facts are expected, especially after the vice president reportedly gave what the prosecution considers a non-answer in her response to the impeachment complaints.
Aside from evidence preparation, Co said the prosecution panel is also studying the possibility of presenting “hostile witnesses” during the proceedings. These are witnesses who may not be supportive of the side calling them to testify.
“Tinitignan natin na maaari natin i-call to the stand siya. So naghahanda din tayo ano ‘yung mga kalakip na gawain para ma-call sila, mapanawagan na ito ‘yung mga tanong na dapat sagutin, paano mag-impeach ng isang hostile witnesses if necessary,” she said.
However, Co admitted that calling hostile witnesses could be risky and said prosecutors are still weighing the advantages and disadvantages before finalizing their witness list.
She stressed that witnesses invited by the prosecution should remain consistent with testimonies they previously gave during congressional hearings or in sworn affidavits.
Despite ongoing political tensions inside the Senate, including talks of another leadership shakeup, Co said the impeachment proceedings should continue without disruption.
“Ang Senado hindi dapat makaapekto sa proseso ng pananagutan. Kahit sino naman nandyan, dapat makita natin na magtuloy-tuloy ‘yung paglilitis at proseso. Pero sa bahagi ng mamamayan, nakikita natin natural na may agam-agam,” she said.
The Senate officially convened as an impeachment court on May 18 and is eyeing the start of pre-trial proceedings on July 6, about a month after Duterte is expected to formally answer the Articles of Impeachment.
May 24, 2026
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