Adiong: Senate court to decide if ex-sheriff can skip Sara Duterte trial

Sara Duterte. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA; Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong. Photo from Adiong’s Facebook page.

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court, not the House prosecution panel, will decide whether former Davao City court sheriff Abe Andres can be excused from testifying in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial after he sought to be excluded from the proceedings, House prosecution panel spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Saturday.

Article continues after this advertisement

Speaking at the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City, Adiong said the prosecution understood Andres’ reluctance to relive his encounter with Duterte after the former sheriff appealed to be excluded from what he described as “partisan political matters.”

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

“We understand the apprehension of Mr. Abe. That’s a raw emotion because what he experienced from the Vice President is not something a person would want to relive,” Adiong said.

“At the very least, that’s an embarrassing event on a personal level, to have received that kind of treatment from the Vice President when his only fault was carrying out a court order,” he added.

Andres was the court sheriff whom Duterte punched during a 2011 demolition operation involving informal settlers while she was serving as Davao City mayor. He is now a human resource management officer at the Supreme Court.

The House prosecution panel included Andres as a potential witness for Article IV of the impeachment complaint. House prosecutor Manila Rep. Joel Chua had earlier said Andres was not being presented to relitigate the 2011 incident but to help establish Duterte’s alleged violent behavior.

Article continues after this advertisement

Adiong said the prosecution merely complied with the Senate impeachment court’s directive to submit a list of potential witnesses and evidence.

“As a matter of compliance, we submitted a list of potential evidence. These are potential evidence. At the end of the day, it is the court that will issue invitations or subpoenas,” he said.

Article continues after this advertisement

He stressed that the Senate impeachment court—not the prosecution—would determine which witnesses would ultimately testify.

“Once the court issues a subpoena or invitation, the choice of whether to appear or not would no longer be relevant, especially if it’s a subpoena coming from the court,” Adiong said.

He also rejected claims that the impeachment proceedings were partisan, saying the Senate was performing its constitutional duty.

“What I’m trying to say is that the court is actually a nonpartisan venue to discuss the accountability mechanism under the Constitution. The Constitution speaks in a manner that does not associate these charges with political partisanship or preferences,” he said.

“The court has the discretion to issue invitations and subpoenas. If the court issues a subpoena to potential witnesses, then personal choice is already immaterial because the court is exercising its constitutional duty to try and decide the case,” he added.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to begin the trial on July 6 after completing pretrial proceedings on June 25. /dm