Prosecutors claim Day 2 victory at Sara Duterte impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines – The House impeachment panel claimed victory on Tuesday, on the second day of the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, citing the continued presentation of evidence and the overruling of several defense objections.

“It’s very clear now that we’re — as I’m saying now, even though the day has not ended, but we’re claiming victory because all the motions that were raised by the defense, most of them were overruled,” Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, trial spokesperson, said in a statement on Tuesday.

He said the proceedings strengthened the prosecution’s call to let the evidence be seen.

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“Ultimately, the people have seen now that, as the impeachment trial continues, it’s very clear that the call of the prosecution for the truth to be shown is growing stronger,” Alonto Adiong said in Filipino.

For his part, Rep. Terry Ridon, a public prosecutor, said the prosecution’s standard for success was not a tally of objections, but whether evidence was presented.

“We don’t have a tally sheet of those whose objections were rejected and those whose objections were sustained and those who stuttered,” Ridon said in Filipino.

“What’s important here is that the evidence is coming out, whether from the prosecution or from the defense. The most important metric in litigation is that the evidence was entered with no objection, without anyone stopping it. So that’s a big victory,” he added.

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Alonto Adiong said the prosecution had already begun showing the public the evidence behind the impeachment case.

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“We have already shown to the public what evidence we have,” Alonto Adiong said.

“So in that sense, sabi ko nga we are claiming victory because it’s the people who will win here,” he added.

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According to the prosecution panel, Day 2 confirmed that the trial has shifted from preliminaries to evidence, with the public now able to see how the case will be tested before the Senate impeachment court. /atm