Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante said the House prosecution panel has presented enough evidence in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and argued that the proceedings should not extend until December.
Abante made the statement after the prosecution presented two articles of impeachment, which he identified as involving grave threats and the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
During a press briefing, Abante said he believed Duterte was already guilty based on the two articles presented by the prosecution.
He described the alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez as a betrayal of public trust.
Abante also said the evidence presented was already strong enough that, in his view, the trial should not reach December. He made the assessment even without the proceedings reaching allegations involving unexplained wealth and the failure to declare assets in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, or SALN.
However, Abante said the impeachment proceedings should continue until all evidence has been heard.
He also called on the senator-judges to carefully examine the evidence presented during the trial.
Abante urged the senator-judges not to develop what he described as “political cataract” when evaluating the evidence.
Abante’s statements reflected his position on the strength of the prosecution’s evidence and the expected duration of the proceedings. The allegations raised during the trial remain part of the impeachment process, where the evidence is to be heard and evaluated by the senator-judges.
The lawmaker specifically pointed to the allegations involving grave threats and confidential funds as sufficient, in his assessment, to support his conclusion regarding the case.
He nevertheless acknowledged that the trial must proceed through the presentation and examination of all evidence before the senator-judges can complete their consideration of the impeachment case.
