Transparency push marks second week of VP trial

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial enters its second week with the Senate moving to make the proceedings more transparent and efficient as the impeachment court prepares to hear more witnesses.

Senator-judges and prosecutors are also exploring measures to prevent delays that marked the opening week of the historic proceedings.

Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian on Sunday also announced that all documents related to and presented during the impeachment trial are now accessible through a dedicated section of the Senate website, allowing the public to monitor the proceedings and review evidence firsthand.

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READ: No healing without closure in Sara Duterte impeachment trial – De Lima

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An impeachment tab has been added to the Senate’s website, with separate sections for the prosecution, defense, court issuances and the official journal.

The Senate secretariat, acting as impeachment clerk of court, uploads pleadings, records, manifestations and documentary evidence submitted during the trial.

READ: Common sense dictates: Sara Duterte’s ‘kill threat’ video authentic – Diokno

“We will ensure that all documents and evidence can be seen by the public because they are already uploaded on the Senate website,” Gatchalian said.

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He said the move is intended to ensure transparency in a proceeding that has drawn intense public attention. With this, Gatchalian urged Filipinos to examine the records themselves.

“We invite the public to scrutinize, read, and understand the proceedings for themselves. We realize that while we, at the upper chamber, sit as senator-judges, the ultimate judges of this impeachment proceeding are the Filipino people,” he added.

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The online publication of impeachment records comes as the Senate impeachment court seeks to balance openness with the orderly conduct of the 92-day trial that began on July 6.

Duterte faces four articles of impeachment approved by the House of Representatives involving the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, alleged concealing of unexplained wealth and inaccurate statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), alleged bribery and procurement irregularities in the Department of Education, and alleged assassination threats against President Marcos, first Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

‘Entitled to speedy trial’

Even as the trial progresses, members of the impeachment court are discussing ways to accelerate proceedings after the first week produced only one witness despite three scheduled trial days.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the impeachment court recognizes that Duterte, like any respondent, is entitled to a speedy trial.

“VP Sara is also entitled, just like any respondent in an ordinary court hearing, to a speedy trial. So we have to devise measures to speed up the proceedings,” Lacson said in an interview over dzBB radio.

He proposed requiring both the prosecution and defense to ensure that all witnesses scheduled for the week remain at the Senate while hearings are ongoing from Monday to Wednesday.

“So if ever we finish early with one witness, we can move on to the next. No trial days would be wasted,” he said.

He stressed that expediting the proceedings does not mean sacrificing due process.

“Speeding up the trial does not mean compromising the presentation of evidence. It means maximizing the limited time available to us,” he said.

He noted that last Wednesday’s hearing ended early because National Bureau of Investigation Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc, who was next in line to testify, was not yet at the Senate. Lotoc’s testimony was reset to Monday.

“There is no need to exhaust the 11 days for just one article. This may stretch until the Christmas holidays and beyond if the trial continues at the current pace of only one witness a week,” he said.

Lacson said Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who presides over the impeachment court, appeared receptive to the proposal.

He also said senator-judges are expected to discuss in a caucus this week the scope of their questioning after lengthy exchanges among members consumed significant hearing time during the opening week.

Lacson likewise urged an early resolution of the issue on the voting threshold required for conviction to avoid a scenario where the Supreme Court would later invalidate the Senate’s decision on procedural grounds.

2 witnesses a day

The House prosecution panel, meanwhile, said it is ready to present two witnesses a day if allowed by the court.

“We are prepared to present at least two witnesses in a day,” San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora said, adding that this would depend on whether each witness finishes testifying and the next one is cleared to take the stand.

The prosecution presented only one witness last week after prolonged arguments over the testimony of NBI senior agent John Mark Calilung, who authenticated videos of Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024, remarks against Marcos, the first lady and Romualdez.

This week, prosecutors are expected to present Lotoc, who will testify on the NBI’s investigation into Duterte’s statements, as well as Duterte’s chief aide Zuleika Lopez, House Legislative Security Bureau Executive Director Capt. Belinda Bello and another law enforcement officer in support of Article IV.

Lotoc, currently the NBI regional director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, was former head of the NBI Anti-Cybercrime Division that investigated the alleged threats made by the Vice President during her past midnight press conference with Lopez at the Batasang Pambansa detention room.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, a spokesperson for the prosecution, said Lotoc’s testimony would build on Calilung’s evidence by presenting the results of the NBI investigation.

“Mr. Calilung authenticated this video, while Atty. Lotoc will provide the results of their investigation,” Adiong said.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag has also asked prosecutors to move his testimony earlier because he is scheduled to attend a regional law enforcement summit in Thailand on July 21 and 22.

Under the Senate impeachment rules, Duterte is not required to personally attend the proceedings as long as her lawyers are present. She met with her legal team at the Senate last Tuesday but did not attend the hearings. Her lawyers said she would appear if advised to do so.

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The impeachment court has allotted 92 trial days, including 31 days for the confidential funds charge, 12 days for the alleged SALN violations, eight days for the bribery and procurement case, and 11 days for Article IV on the alleged assassination threats. /cb