VP Senate Trial Focuses on 'Threat' of Killing Request, Not Hitman Identity

In the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, the focus remains on the 'threat' posed by her alleged remarks about requesting someone to kill the president, with the identification of the individual involved being deferred to a separate criminal investigation. Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, a spokesperson for the House prosecution, explained on Wednesday in an interview on ANC’s “Headstart” that the ongoing National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe should not be confused with the constitutional case being heard by the Senate impeachment court. "Whether or not the NBI can finally identify the hitman, that is a separate case because that is already within the jurisdiction of the NBI. Or whatever case they feel they want to file before any courts, that’s for them [to determine]," Alonto Adiong said in a mix of Filipino and English. The prosecution has maintained that the trial is being conducted to determine Duterte’s fitness and accountability in office rather than to determine whether the elements of a criminal offense have been proven beyond reasonable doubt. "That will not matter — whether a hitman can be presented or not. The point of Article 4 is the utterances of the vice president," Alonto Adiong stressed. The fourth article of impeachment accuses Duterte of betraying public trust by saying in public statements that she had asked someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez — if she herself would be killed. Meanwhile, the NBI is pursuing its own investigation into the identity of the person Duterte allegedly said she had talked to. "We cannot speculate and predict whether this hitman will be identified by the NBI while the trial is ongoing," Alonto Adiong said. He acknowledged that investigators could conclude only after the Senate had already finished hearing the impeachment case. "It can happen that the identification can also happen after the trial. So we don’t know," Alonto Adiong pointed out.