Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial: Defense lawyer’s objections dominate second day

“Objection” became the word of the day as Vice President Sara Duterte’s lawyer repeatedly interrupted proceedings with challenges on the second day of her impeachment trial on Tuesday, July 7. On the witness stand was National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent John Mark Calilung, who authenticated the videos showing Duterte threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Those videos are among the key pieces of evidence presented by the House prosecutors. But before the court could even get to the videos, Duterte’s lawyer, Carlo Narvasa, repeatedly interjected with objections. To be fair, objections are a normal part of any trial, including an impeachment proceeding. However, the frequency of these interruptions reportedly went beyond the usual. House prosecutor Lorenz Defensor said they had anticipated the defense’s objections as part of their strategy. Still, this felt like it was on a different level. There were times when nearly every time House private prosecutor Amando Ligutan tried to speak and move forward, Narvasa was on his feet with another objection. At one point during Ligutan’s opening statement, Narvasa also tried to interrupt him. “Your honor, may I object? Is this a speech or an offer?” Narvasa said. Ligutan countered “there’s no proper ground” to support Narvasa’s objection. “Please hold your horses,” Ligutan told Narvasa. Well, it did not stop there. During the second day of the trial, Ligutan, with his solid and clear voice, asked Calilung: “What particular statements of the Vice President on that day did you investigate?” “Objection, Your Honor,” Narvasa interjected, saying Ligutan’s question was “vague.” “Ooohhh,” Ligutan reacted. He was visibly frustrated but kept his composure. Over 2 dozen objections. How many times did Narvasa object? Based on our tally, Narvasa made at least 25 objections. “A bit impertinent” or “repetitive” was how public prosecutor Terry Ridon described Narvasa’s objections. The interruptions by the defense appeared to test Ligutan’s patience. And he wasn’t the only one. Inside the impeachment court, nearly every objection from Narvasa drew chuckles from the public gallery. A woman seated in front of me simply shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, “not again.” Some Senate staff were seen raising the sign: “Silence please.” The trial is expected to run for months. Will Duterte’s defense team continue with this strategy? Despite the constant objections, House prosecutors believed they still “scored points” on the second day of the trial.