Sen. Robin Padilla questioned why the China trips of a defense witness are being raised as an issue during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying travel to the country should not automatically invite suspicion.
During the 43rd day of the impeachment trial, Padilla said he had visited China several times, including once with former President Rodrigo Duterte, but could no longer recall the places they had visited.
The senator asked whether forgetting specific destinations after traveling to China should be considered a problem.
“Is it an issue to go to China? I have been to China several times. One time, I was with former President Rodrigo Duterte. I also cannot recall where I went. Is that a problem if someone cannot remember?” Padilla said.
House prosecutor and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon clarified that the prosecution was not questioning the witness simply for traveling to China.
Instead, Ridon said the questions were intended to examine the witness’ credibility and the truthfulness of the testimony.
“The questions about China are part of testing the witness’ credibility,” Ridon explained.
Padilla then asked whether an individual’s visit to China itself could become an issue during the proceedings.
Ridon responded that traveling to China was not the concern, emphasizing that the bigger issue was whether a witness was being truthful.
“The visit itself is not an issue. The bigger issue is dishonesty,” Ridon said.
The exchange stemmed from the prosecution’s questioning of witnesses about their previous trips to China during the impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
The discussion highlighted the distinction between questioning a witness about international travel and examining whether the witness is providing truthful and credible answers under questioning.
