VP Sara Impeachment Trial Set for Intensified Phase with More Witnesses

The House prosecution panel is preparing to further strengthen its case against Vice President Sara Duterte with more witnesses to be presented as the impeachment trial against the second-highest official in the land enters its second week. At a news forum on Saturday, House Prosecutors Representatives Leila de Lima and Chel Diokno expressed that the coming days will bring a more "intense phase" to the proceedings. "Impeachment is always exciting," Diokno said in a mix of English and Filipino. "Of course, our start required us to establish the foundation. Now, the different features of the house will finally become visible. That is why I think the interest of everyone watching will intensify even more this coming week and in the weeks to follow,” he added. The House prosecution has 11 days to present its case for Article IV, which involves allegations that the Vice President made grave threats and orchestrated assassination plots against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Additional witnesses For her part, De Lima described the first week of the trial as the “groundwork,” led by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) senior agent John Mark Calilung's testimony. "There would of course be additional witnesses; the others have already been subpoenaed," de Lima said. "We will add to and expand the testimony of senior agent Mark Calilung. We will strengthen it, of course, because that was just the foundation. So brick by brick, we're going to make it stronger,” she said, noting that the evidence for Article IV is mostly testimonial. De Lima said upcoming witnesses include NBI Regional Director Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, House of Representatives Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms Legislative Security Bureau Executive Director Captain Belinda Bello, and NBI Director Jaime Matibag. She added that a subpoena has also been issued to Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief of Staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez. Key witness De Lima, moreover, said Lotoc, who led the investigation into the Vice President's alleged public threats, will be a key witness. "He will explain why and how they analyzed the evidence and the videos that were presented and authenticated during Senior Agent Calilung's testimony," De Lima explained. "What is the story there? What was the result of their investigation? He will detail the follow-up operations." De Lima added that Lotoc will explain why the NBI referred the case to the Department of Justice. "They found probable cause at the investigator level for a grave threats case. He will explain the circumstances, the conditions, the context, and the sheer seriousness of those threats based on their findings,” she said. Meanwhile, the prosecution is not disclosing its strategy regarding Lopez. "We cannot, of course, at this point, disclose the direction or focus of the investigation, especially since she [Lopez] will be presented as a hostile witness," De Lima said, noting that Lopez is expected to appear following her subpoena. "The prosecution's assessment of who and what evidence to present next will depend on the outcome of the testimony of the preceding witness, Atty. Lotoc.” ‘Typhoon Inday’ De Lima, during the forum, also addressed a recent remark by Lopez, who told reporters to "prepare for Typhoon Inday” when she arrived at the Senate for a coordination meeting with Senate Secretary and Clerk of Court Renato Bantug Jr. "There is a double meaning to those words. It’s true there is a typhoon named Inday, and we saw the severe rains and flooding in NCR, so literally, it is correct," De Lima said. "But it can also be interpreted in another manner relative to the impeachment. Is the other side planning another maneuver to derail or delay the impeachment trial just because her chief of staff was subpoenaed? We just hope she was only referring to the literal meaning." —VAL, GMA News