Day 2 recap: Kill-threat video takes center stage in impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines – On Day 2 of the impeachment trial, the Senate court denied multiple defense motions as prosecutors screened a video of Vice President Sara Duterte threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez, and signaled they would subpoena her to testify.

But before the trial proper, Duterte arrived at the Senate Tuesday morning to confer with her lawyers. However shed did not enter the impeachment court.In an interview with reporters, the vice president said that “in this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed.”  Prosecution spokesperson Rep. Renee Co said she understood Duterte’s decision to meet with counsel, adding that they would wait to see whether the huddle would affect the proceedings.

The second day of the trial centered on Article IV, the grave-threats charge alleging that Duterte hired an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife and the former speaker.

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Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero allowed a two-minute, 18-second clip of a November 2024 online briefing in which Duterte made the threats to be screened over defense objections. The prosecution’s first witness, NBI Senior Cyber Investigation Agent John Mark Calilung, testified on the forensic authentication of the livestreamed videos containing the statements. [4]

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Counsel for the prosecution Amando Ligutan argued that Duterte’s statements established that she had a “plan” to have the three officials killed, responding to Sen.-Judge Risa Hontiveros’s question on how the statements are impeachable given that they do not constitute proof an assassin was actually contracted. House prosecutor Rep. Lorenz Defensor opened the prosecution’s case by calling the threats “especially sinister” because they came from the vice president herself and not an ordinary citizen.

The Senate Impeachment Court denied several defense motions, including a bid to exclude Calilung as a witness on the ground that he was not listed in the original complaint nor in the transmitted Articles of Impeachment.

The court also denied the defense’s motion to strike Defensor’s opening statement from the record.

Prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan separately filed a manifestation reserving the right to call Duterte herself as a hostile witness when Article IV is presented, noting: “One of the key witnesses, albeit hostile, would be the vice president.”

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Outside the trial, a group of nine lawyers allied with the Dutertes filed a Very Urgent Manifestation with Motion before the Supreme Court asking it to void Escudero’s authority to preside and to issue a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order against the proceedings.

The group argued that only the Senate president may preside over impeachment trials and that the rule amendment authorizing Escudero’s election was adopted by an invalid quorum.

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House prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon, meanwhile, challenged Duterte to appear personally, saying: “You cannot have a bloodbath from the sidelines, you cannot have a bloodbath through proxies.” /dp

Sources

Duterte visits lawyers? Co says she’d do same after Defense’ performance

Prosecution: Sara Duterte hitman claim implies intent to kill presiden

Prosec scores in bunches as Senate court denies several defense motions

Sara Duterte trial: VP video on violent thoughts vs Marcos shown

Sara Duterte’s ‘kill threat’ video clip presented in impeachment trial

WATCH: Prosecution opens Article IV as defense objects to statement

Group asks SC to void Escudero’s authority to preside over trial

Impeachment court junks move to exclude prosecution’s first witness

Defensor opens Duterte trial with ‘sinister’ threat remarks

Prosecution reserves right to have VP as witness in grave threats charge

Senior NBI agent first to testify against Sara Duterte

Welcome to the ‘bloodbath:’ Ridon urges VP Duterte to face trial herself

Duterte on impeachment ‘bloodbath’: ‘I will be bloodied but unbowed’

Editor’s note: This update was generated with the aid of artificial intelligence based on Inquirer.net and Philippine Daily Inquirer articles and reviewed by a human editor.

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