Private prosecutor calls out 'walkout' by Sara Duterte's lead counsel

MANILA, Philippines— Did  Vice President  Sara Duterte’s  lead counsel, Shiela Sison, walk out of the impeachment trial on Tuesday?

Private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan thought so, prompting him to inform the impeachment court  while he  was conducting  the direct examination of senior National Bureau of  Investigation agent John Mark Calilung.

“Your honor please, I think Atty Sison is making a scene,” Ligutan said.

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“Manifestation, Atty. Sison  gave a statement addressed to this representation  and she walked out.  She’s now coming back,” he said.

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Sen. Francis Escudero, who was presiding over the  trial, directed Ligutan to wind up first his reply to Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros’ queries before the court addresses his concern on Sison’s supposed walkout.

Inquirer is still trying to confirm with the defense team where  Sison had indeed walked out of  the  court.

Calilung was the prosecution team’s first witness in connection with Duterte’s alleged threat to kill  President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and wife, Liza, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez during an online media briefing on November 23, 2024.

According to Ligutan, the agent was part of the NBI Cybercrime Division team, which was tasked to  investigate  Duterte’s statements and threats directed at the Marcoses amd Romualdez.

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The prosecutor pointed out that designated agent on the case, Calilung “personally conducted and participated  in the cybercrime and open-source investigation relating to the subject video and related digital recordings.”

“In the course of its open-source investigation, the NBI found that the vice president had made other statements similar to the alleged threats against the President’s life, including her public remark that she had, at one point, thought about beheading the president of the Republic of the Philippines,” Ligutan said in Filipino. /gsg

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