The House prosecution panel criticized Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team for renewing procedural objections to the impeachment complaint and financial evidence, saying the issues had already been addressed in earlier proceedings.
In an interview, House prosecutor Terry Ridon questioned why the defense continued to challenge documents that both sides had previously considered “common exhibits.”
Ridon said he found the defense strategy difficult to understand because the documents did not originate from the prosecution but consisted of Duterte’s own declarations.
He also maintained that questions involving the Vice President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, or SALN, and the allegation of a “fishing expedition” had already been answered.
According to Ridon, the renewed objections suggested that the defense had little left to challenge in the evidence presented by the prosecution.
The prosecution panel had previously said Duterte was given several opportunities to respond to the allegations.
Those opportunities included hearings conducted by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, as well as clarificatory hearings held by the House Committee on Justice.
The latest dispute centers on the defense team’s objections to the impeachment complaint and the use of financial documents as evidence. The prosecution argued that the documents should not be challenged again because both parties had treated them as common exhibits in the proceedings.
Ridon’s comments reflected the prosecution panel’s position that the questions raised by the defense had already been taken up before the Supreme Court and the Senate impeachment court.
The statements were made as the two sides continued to dispute procedural matters and the evidentiary basis of the impeachment case against Duterte.
The panel said these hearings allowed the Vice President to address the allegations against her.
