Defense failed to weaken alleged VP Duterte threat vs Marcos – Ridon

MANILA, Philippines — The defense failed to weaken the allegation that Vice President Sara Duterte threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the House prosecution said in a statement on Tuesday.

House prosecutor Rep. Terry L. Ridon pointed out that the cross-examination of defense lawyer Mark Vinluan focused on documentary issues instead of the alleged threats at the center of the impeachment trial.

He said questions about discrepancies in Department of Justice (DOJ) documents did not change the prosecution’s claim that Duterte made threats in her videotaped Nov. 23, 2024, media conference.

Article continues after this advertisement

“Even if they had raised document discrepancies on cross, it did not diminish the threat itself,” Ridon said in a press conference.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

“What we’re talking about here is the threat of the vice president against the president, the [former] House speaker, and the first lady. That doesn’t change,” he added in Filipino.

Ridon made those remarks as the defense continued its cross-examination of Jeremy Lontoc, a regional director of the National Bureau of Investigation, who is the prosecution’s second witness on the fourth article of impeachment.

The article accuses Duterte of making grave threats and committing betrayal of public trust over her Nov. 23, 2024, remarks in which she said she had instructed someone to kill the president, the first lady, and the former speaker should she herself be killed.

Ridon maintained that the focus of the defense on documentary details did not affect the prosecution’s evidence or theory of the case.

Article continues after this advertisement

“So we let them nitpick on all of these documents, no problem, because the fact doesn’t change — the fact that a threat was made,” he said.

The defense is expected to conclude its cross-examination of Lotoc on Tuesday, after which the prosecution is expected to conduct its redirect examination before the NBI official is excused from the witness stand. /atm

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.