Sara Duterte defense: Prosecution lacks proof of assassin hiring

The Defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday argued the House prosecution panel has no evidence that would prove the country's second highest official contracted an "assassin" to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Lawyer Mark Vinluan, one of Duterte's legal counsels, said this in his closing remarks during the third day of the Vice President's impeachment trial."The prosecution's admission before this honorable court made the respondent's position clear. The prosecution has no other competent evidence to prove that VP Sara contracted an assassin," said Vinluan. "Ang testimony ni Calilung, gaya ng iba pang ebidensya kuno ng prosecution, ay hindi sapat para patunayan ang paratang na ito," he added. (Calilung's testimony, like all of the prosecution's evidence are not enough to prove the accusations.) During the third day of the impeachment proceedings, lawyer Carlo Joaquin Narvasa also cross-examined National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who was presented by the prosecutor as its first witness. In his cross-examination, Narvasa presented a portion of a video of a virtual press conference of the Office of the Vice President's chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez, and said Duterte's alleged grave threats were prompted by Lopez's detention. Vinluan, for his part, also said the Vice President's inciting remarks stemmed from the alleged threat to the Duterte her family under so-called "Project Romanov" and while "unconventional," it is also "justified". "The truth of the matter is this. She and her family were threatened, and while her response was unconventional, it was justified. What triggered her response was a question about 'Operation Romanov', which is the plot to eliminate VP Sara and her entire family," said Vinluan. "When VP Sara uttered those words, she was not responding as Sara Duterte, the Vice-President, but Sara Duterte, the wife, mother, daughter, and sister who only sought to protect her own and her family members' lives. 'Operation Romanov' is in place, and the threat against their lives is real. VP Sara became the target of unauthorized intelligence and surveillance operations by government operatives that exposed her family to high-level risks and security threats, thereby causing intense trauma and uncontrollable fear," he added. Defense says it 'hit its target' Meanwhile, lawyer Michael Poa asserted the third day of the impeachment proceedings positively, saying he is giving it a full mark as an "internal" review. "Definitely, 10/10 din para sa akin ang score. We're very happy we hit our targets but as to 'yung scoring kung nanalo ba kami today or yesterday, we don't do that," Poa told reporters. "We had targets and we were able to hit our targets. We were able to accomplish a lot today," he said. —LDF, GMA News