DEPUTY Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union on Wednesday questioned whether the defense pre-trial brief filed by Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s legal team is intended to help clarify the issues before the impeachment court—or to make them more difficult to understand.
“A pre-trial brief is supposed to be a roadmap,” Ortega said.
“It should help the court and the public understand what the issues are, what the evidence is, and what each side intends to prove. After reading this filing, one cannot help but ask: Is this a roadmap—or a labyrinth?”
According to Ortega, many of the witnesses and documentary exhibits listed in the filing are described in broad and generic language that provides little explanation of what they are supposed to establish.
“When people read a roadmap, they expect directions. They expect clarity. They expect answers,” Ortega said.
“But when everything is described in vague and sweeping terms, the question naturally arises: Is the objective to clarify the issues—or to obscure them?” Ortega asked.
Ortega said ordinary Filipinos are not interested in legal technicalities but in obtaining answers to simple questions that have been hanging over the controversy for months.
“The Filipino people are not asking for legal jargon. They are asking straightforward questions.. Where did the money go? How were public funds spent? What happened to the confidential funds that are now being questioned?” He asked.
“How does the Vice President explain the allegations regarding wealth and financial transactions that have become part of public discussion? These are the questions people want answered,” Ortega said.
The Deputy Speaker said that instead of helping the public understand how the Defense intends to answer those questions, the filing appears to leave many of them unresolved.
“The purpose of a pre-trial brief is to narrow the issues and identify what facts remain disputed,” Ortega said. “It should help people see where the case is headed.”
“But if people finish reading the filing and still do not know how the Defense intends to explain these matters, then it is fair to ask whether the filing has accomplished its purpose,” Ortega said.
Ortega emphasized that Vice President Duterte has every constitutional right to defend herself and present her side before the impeachment court.
“In fact, we welcome it. We want to hear the explanations. We want to hear the witnesses. We want to see the evidence. Because the Filipino people deserve answers,” Ortega stressed.
He said the impeachment trial remains the proper venue for those answers to finally be given.
“The public has waited for months,” according to Ortega. “They have heard allegations. They have heard denials. What they want now are explanations supported by evidence.”
“That is why the trial must proceed. For many Filipinos, the questions remain the same today as they were on day one: Where did the money go? How was it spent? And how does the Vice President explain the issues raised regarding her finances?” Ortega asked.
“The purpose of a roadmap is to lead people to answers. The purpose of a labyrinth is to keep people wandering. The Filipino people deserve answers,” Ortega added.
